Since Tesla installed its first Superchargers in 2012 for the exclusive use of its customers, owners of other electric cars have often felt like second-class citizens. They have wandered in search of electric oases in desolate parking lots, often making desperate calls to help centers after becoming stymied by balky or broken chargers.

It’s no surprise, then, that consumers rank problems with public electric vehicle charging and the time it takes to fuel up as their top two reasons for rejecting electric vehicles, according to J.D. Power.

But help may finally be at hand.

Automakers and charging companies are building new stations and updating their cars to allow drivers to more easily and quickly recharge their vehicles. They are also outfitting charging stations with more amenities such as food and bathrooms while making the devices more reliable.

And because chargers are only as fast as the cars they connect with, automakers are designing new cars to absorb electricity at faster speeds.

In addition, many automakers have cut deals with Tesla allowing owners of other cars access to the company’s fast-charging network, the largest in the country and widely considered the most reliable.

There is early evidence that efforts to improve electric vehicle charging are paying off.

In recent years, J.D. Power surveys showed that about 20% of attempts to charge EVs at all public stations ended in failure because of faulty chargers, long lines or payment glitches. But in the first three months of 2025, overall failure rates fell to 16%, the biggest improvement since the surveys began in 2021.

The number of chargers has also increased. There were about 55,200 fast chargers in the United States in May, up from 42,200 a year earlier, according to federal data.

In February, a former Phillips 66 gas station in Apex, North Carolina, near Raleigh, became the first “Rechargery” from Ionna, a company created by eight automakers, including General Motors, Hyundai Motors, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Their chargers can deliver up to 400 kilowatts of juice, far more than Tesla’s 250-kilowatt Superchargers. Some cars can replenish a battery in 30 minutes or less at the higher charging speeds.

When connected to chargers of 350 kilowatts or more, including those at Ionna and Electrify America, another fast-charging network, a Hyundai Ioniq 5, for example, can fill its electric “tank” from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes. That adds up to 220 miles of driving range.

Ionna stations offer 24-hour service. The network has installed lighted canopies over chargers, and drivers can wait in lounges equipped with Wi-Fi, coffee bars and bathrooms while their vehicles are plugged in.

Ionna aims to install 10 to 12 fast-charging stalls per station. Since February, Ionna has opened 14 stations in several states and has acquired 200 sites around the country. Its target is to build a total of 30,000 charging bays by 2030.

Some models from BMW, Hyundai and Kia have also enabled a national “Plug and Charge” standard that lets car owners begin charging their vehicles at Ionna stalls without first having to use a smartphone app or swipe a credit card, eliminating a step that sometimes results in errors.