EVgo starts building Tesla Superchargers under license

[davehu]

EVgo starts building Tesla Superchargers under license

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[The Weatherman]

Well isn’t that interesting!

 

[K6CCC]

Entertaining.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Likely to be expensive, though, at EVgo pricing. One of the best chargers I ever used was at the Pilot Travel Center #118 in Benton, AR. I only had a Tesla charger membership, so I had to pay full EVgo retail pricing of $ 0.60/kWh. Perhaps the Tesla Superchargers EVgo produces under license will be similarly priced. I was entering a relative charging desert along IH-30 there. An oasis in a (charging) desert can set the price of (electricity) water...

 

[RickLightning]

Likely to be expensive, though, at EVgo pricing. One of the best chargers I ever used was at the Pilot Travel Center #118 in Benton, AR. I only had a Tesla charger membership, so I had to pay full EVgo retail pricing of $ 0.60/kWh. Perhaps the Tesla Superchargers EVgo produces under license will be similarly priced. I was entering a relative charging desert along IH-30 there. An oasis in a (charging) desert can set the price of (electricity) water...

Not EVgo pricing...

Pilot and GM put in that network, and set the pricing, not EVgo... Even if you had the EVgo membership, it doesn't apply on their extended network.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/568441

 

[Zprime29]

Not EVgo pricing...

Pilot and GM put in that network, and set the pricing, not EVgo... Even if you had the EVgo membership, it doesn't apply on their extended network.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/568441

Yup, when I discovered that I was greatly disappointed. I was looking forward to a covered charging experience at the Lordsburg, NM location but I'm not paying what they want. The Tesla and EA location (which finally upgraded their chargers) with membership are 33% cheaper.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Not EVgo pricing...

Pilot and GM put in that network, and set the pricing, not EVgo... Even if you had the EVgo membership, it doesn't apply on their extended network.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/568441

I got the EVgo label from ABRP in 2025 and have just kept it in my routing/charging notes without checking on current branding status. Here's is ChatGPT's reply on whether it's an EVgo charging station.

Me:

Was the Pilot Travel Center 118 at 7801 Alcoa Rd, Benton, AR 72015 formerly EVgo affiliated? Now it says "GM Energy"

ChatGPT: Yes. In fact, it's a bit of a branding story.

The chargers at Pilot Travel Center in Benton were originally deployed as part of a three-way partnership between Pilot, GM, and EVgo:

• Pilot provides the travel center site.
• GM Energy is the strategic partner and co-brand.
• EVgo operates the charging network and backend software under its EVgo eXtend white-label program.

So:

• When you stopped there earlier this year and paid $0.60/kWh (which you mentioned), it was indeed an EVgo-operated station, even though Pilot often set the pricing.
• Today, Pilot's website prominently brands those chargers as "GM Energy", reflecting GM's consumer-facing branding for the nationwide corridor.
• However, the chargers still appear in the EVgo app as EVgo charging stations at that address, and EVgo continues to operate them.

This dual branding has confused a lot of EV drivers. The physical dispensers often carry both GM Energy and EVgo logos, while different apps may list them under different names.

It also explains something you observed on your trip: those Pilot locations are often priced differently from "regular" EVgo stations. Under the eXtend arrangement, Pilot can set pricing, so EVgo memberships and discounts may not always apply the same way they do at wholly owned EVgo sites. That's why many Lightning owners compare them unfavorably with Tesla Superchargers on price, even though they generally like the locations and reliability.

So the answer is: No, they haven't really switched from EVgo to GM Energy. The underlying operator is still EVgo; GM Energy is simply the more prominent consumer brand for this joint Pilot/GM/EVgo network.

 

[RickLightning]

I don't waste my time with AI stuff. I told you, correctly, everything it wasted all that space regurgitating.

From the beginning, GM and Pilot / Flying J established a network, managed by EVgo. It was always part of the EVgo extended network with pricing not handled by EVgo and EVgo discounts not applying.

 

[Zprime29]

Just go to the source. EVgo app said they do not control pricing at Pilot locations.

EVgo website says they will own the upcoming SC stations and will set prices. It also says Tesla will maintain them and will be found on both the Tesla and EVgo apps.

 

[Firn]

I don't waste my time with AI stuff. I told you, correctly, everything it wasted all that space regurgitating.

If only we were looking for something to take a bunch of stuff on the internet and "regurgitate" it back in summarized form... or, basically what the comments here are doing...

 

[Jim Lewis]

EVgo's eXtend network is not just a little "side operation." From its 2025 Annual Report to the SEC:

from EVgo's financials. In 2025:

• Total revenue was about $384 million.
• eXtend revenue was about $116 million, or roughly 30% of EVgo's total revenue.
• That eXtend revenue included not just recurring operations, but also hardware sales and construction projects.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1821159/000110465926024827/evgo-20251231x10k.htm

Edit_Update: From the bottom of p. 11 of the 2025 SEC report, EVgo's description of its role in eXtend network operations:

To complement our core business model and increase customer reach, we also offer EVgo eXtend, a white label solution, primarily under our charging infrastructure agreement with the Pilot Company. EVgo eXtend helps partners invest in and build EV charging stations for use by their customers, leveraging charging assets that are serviced through, and often co-branded with, our national network. We generate revenue from site development, equipment delivery, engineering and construction activities related to EVgo eXtend stations, as well as ongoing revenue through operations, networking and maintenance of those sites.

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