ChargePHL: Philadelphia Selects PositivEnergy to Join Citywide EV Charging Infrastructure Initiative

Cities across the nation are working to scale their electrification infrastructure. That demand includes reliable electric vehicle (EV) charging networks.

Renewable energy company PositivEnergy officially announced its partnership with the city of Philadelphia to deploy roughly 435 charging ports for large-scale public charging across the city in support of this national push for accessibility. The new partnership will bring direct current (DC) fast charging and Level 2 charging ports for commuters and visitors alike, as a part of Philadelphia’s “ChargePHL” initiative to install more than 800 charging stations over 10 years.

Miami-based PositivEnergy will also work alongside another EV charging infrastructure provider, It’s Electric, under the public-private partnership city officials have authorized.

“Philadelphia’s goal is to make EV charging more accessible, reliable, and equitable for residents in neighborhoods across the city,” said Anna Kelly, senior policy advisor for EV and parking in Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, in a statement. “We are grateful to our partners at PositivEnergy for sharing this vision, and for bringing their expertise to the implementation and deployment of our EV network.”

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) anticipates the need for 28 million charging ports to support 33 million EVs based on its June 2023 study titled “The 2030 National Charging Network.” An estimated 1% (182,000) of DC fast charging ports would be needed for general public accessibility, long-distance travel, and those with no consistent off-street parking, and charging station access. 

The Trump administration, however, has significantly altered those Biden-era policies and funding meant to build out this network in favor of traditional fossil-fuel investments. Even so, a MAPSearch study of nationwide EV charging infrastructure shows that the network continues to grow. 

PositivEnergy claims that previously deployed EV charging ports in the U.S. have created reliability concerns for many consumers. According to a Harvard Business School report, 1 million EV station consumers from 2011 through 2024 expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the current state of EV charging infrastructure. Those issues included non-residential EV equipment being successful 78% of the time when recharging their cars.

These perceived reliability issues have created investment challenges for cities and commercial operators, but PositivEnergy states that it’s taking a different approach to the traditional market. To reduce this risk, PositivEnergy claims its proprietary PositivAssess platform enables municipalities and commercial property owners to deploy charging infrastructure in areas pre-identified by the company as high-performing charging locations.

“We believe the next phase of EV infrastructure is not about who installs the most chargers. It’s about who builds networks people can actually depend on,” CEO Ed Wise of PositivEnergy said in a statement. “Reliability, intelligent deployment, and long-term operational discipline are what matter now. That’s where we’ve focused from day one.”

Wise adds that Philadelphia, Pa., is also part of the company’s efforts to expand its national footprint, as they have deployed more than 500 charging ports across various project locations in Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas, and California.