- Rove's new station in Santa Ana, California, offers 40 fast-charging stalls.
- It also offers much-needed amenities that most chargers lack, like bathrooms, a 24/7 lounge, night security, WiFi, vending and food options.
- It opens to the public on October 15.
An upstart in California has beaten automaker-backed Ionna to the punch, with a new generation of full-service, second-generation charging stations. The new business model basically takes everything we hate about our current charging infrastructure and addresses it head-on.
We'll start with the number one issue: Not enough working stalls. Well, stations from newcomer Rove will have 40 plugs. That includes 28 Tesla Superchargers with V4 dispensers, which have long enough handles to reach either side of a vehicle.
There are 12 CCS chargers, two of which feature CHAdeMO ports, so, as one representative said, "If you can fast charge, you can fast charge here. Most CCS chargers were 185-kW ABB chargers, but there are two 350-kW stalls. Representatives told InsideEVs that the current charger proportions are relative to the current marketplace, and the ratio of NACS to CCS chargers and the ratio of 185 kW chargers to 350 kW will change as the market evolves.
Rove's stations will also have all of the things many first-generation sites lack. There will be on-site security and charging station employees to help first-time users initiate charges and troubleshoot issues. They will have on-site restrooms and a 24/7 "lounge," with simple tables, chairs, wifi and high-end vending machines with fresh-made options.
Gallery: Rove Charging Station
Those fresh-made options will come courtesy of the "Gelsons ReCharge" that's attached. It's a mini-mart version of the high-end Southern California grocer, with a solid selection of healthy meal options and normal gas station snacks. It's the sort of place you'd want to spend exactly 30 minutes on a road trip or even en route to a meeting. And it's not a concept. The first station opens on October 15. It's in Santa Ana, California, directly along the I-5 freeway.
Rove CEO Bill Reid told InsideEVs that 10 more stations should be open by the end of 2026, spread throughout Southern California. Its next few locations are planned for sites in the Los Angeles area and Orange County, but the company will expand to San Diego shortly after. San Fransisco is eventually on the menu. The company's focus on high-end, high-traffic urban areas with plenty of local EV penetration means it isn't looking outside of urban California for now.
But make no mistake. If "flagship" style charging centers like this, the Electrify America hub in San Fransisco and the planned General Motors/EVGo co-branded ones succeed financially, it's a model that's bound to spread. First-generation chargers were primarily located wherever there was relatively cheap access to parking and electricity. They were often shoved in the back corner of shopping mall lots or strip malls, places you were unlikely to want to visit more than once a week. But the Rove offers household staples, a work surface and large clean bathrooms. It's a perfectly comfortable place to spend 30 minutes. If you want to stay in your car, it has a solar canopy over much of the lot. That alone makes it more pleasant than 90% of existing stations.
It is unquestionably a better customer experience. I often travel to the Los Angeles corridor through Santa Ana, and with 250-mile round trips, I often stop for a bathroom break and to check my emails anyway. Rove will now be my first choice. The question is whether it'll be profitable.
If it is, expect the idea of a "charging center" rather than a "charging station" to spread to a town near you, whether it's run by Rove or someone else.
Contact the author: mack.hogan@insideevs.com
