Our very own Tom Moloughney recently attended the grand opening of the first PowerUp America DC fast-charging station in Manchester, Kentucky.
It was a good opportunity to review the new layout and charging hardware, and to highlight the difficulties charging operators face related to NEVI funding.
NEVI Funding
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI), introduced by the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration several years ago, was a large, $5 billion program boosting EV charging infrastructure deployment.
However, with the administration changes, NEVI was on the verge of being canceled in February 2025, leaving many businesses in the middle of their investment projects.
Later, the NEVI program was unfrozen, and the planned infrastructure projects could continue. Nonetheless, many businesses suffered losses and delays. That’s the case of PowerUp America, which originally hoped to launch the first location before the end of 2025. NEVI restart finally allowed it to build and open the first site in July 2026 (see the grand opening event here).
PowerUp America has some 23 NEVI projects under development now, including in Tennessee, Georgia (11 out of 26 NEVI locations), Virginia, Texas, and North Carolina.
The good news is that when the NEVI program stalled, PowerUp America’s team managed to find a private investor and prepare another path to nationwide expansion. According to the company, the current plan includes installing more than 100 charging stations around the country, on top of the initial NEVI rollout concentrated in the Southeast.
PowerUp Deployment Map (Image credit: PowerUp America)
The First Station
The first PowerUp location in Manchester, Kentucky, features Kempower’s distributed charging system with four Kempower Flex Satellites with NACS and CCS1 connectors for maximum compatibility. The combined power output of the site is 800 kW. An individual stall can supply up to 400 kW.
The Kempower dispensers have a good display that shows not only the charging details but also a charging curve. Additionally, the dispenser notifies the user if the power level is limited by the car itself. Another positive thing about the Kempower dispenser is the cable management system.
The station as a whole is equipped with a canopy, and all four stalls are pull-through type. If demand increases in the future, the site has been prepared for an expansion (up to eight stalls).
Access to the PowerUp charging infrastructure is possible without any special app, simply by using a credit card reader. In the coming weeks, the company plans to launch Plug & Charge functionality.
The stations will be available to find on all major platforms and navigation systems, PowerUp promises.
Tesla Superchargers
One of the most interesting things is that PowerUp America plans to use the Tesla for Business program to deploy 500-kW V4 Superchargers across the US. These stations will be installed nationwide (outside NEVI funding).
According to the State Of Charge video, Superchargers may ultimately represent the majority of PowerUp locations. As of today, the company has more than 100 stations under development.
Video timestamps:
04:06 I arrive at PowerUp’s Manchester, KY site
06:41 Jed Routh, VP of Markets and Products, Kempower NA
09:51 Charging a Rivian R1T
12:29 Josh Turner, Co-Founder and CEO of PowerUp America
23:46 Final thoughts on PowerUp