Franklin’s Charging Delivers The Fast Charging Experience The World Needs

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We wrote about a regional EV charging company called Franklin’s Charging when they opened their first location in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Reading about cool new EV charging business models online is great, but there’s nothing that can replace checking them out in person. Are the chargers easy to pull into? Do they support pull through charging? How easy is it to start a charging session?

Hot Springs, Arkansas

I was in the area on a recent roadtrip out to the Chattanooga Charge event and was excited to see that JT of Franklin’s Charging had just opened a new location along my route in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The major construction for the new location was already complete when I rolled up with the building retrofitted and both Chargepoint fast charging stations fully operational.

The new location is an old service station location in a town with centuries of history that the team retrofitted for EV charging. The lounge was not fully built out, so we didn’t get to go in to get the full experience, but it was accessible for folks looking to get out of the elements.

I pulled up in my Cybertruck and was preparing to give my A2Z Cybertruck charging adapter another run through the paces, and had to do a double-take when I saw that there was a native North American Charging Standard (NACS) cable on the station. I excitedly fumbled with my phone tapped to pay at the Chargepoint station, eagerly grabbing at the NACS adapter like a kid reaching for a candy bar. It quickly unlocked, and a push of the button on the adapter opened up my charging port on the Cybertruck.

A few seconds after tapping to pay, flashing lights celebrated the occasion and my Cybertruck was charging. It was one of the easiest charging experiences I’ve ever had thanks to Chargepoint’s seamless integration.

This could be just about any other charging experience on the planet or at least how they’re supposed to work, but there’s something that sets Franklin’s Charging apart. The lounge in the back checks so many boxes for what EV drivers want at a charging stop. After a few hours of driving, we’re looking to get out of the car, grab a snack, use the restroom, and get back on the road.

This particular location in Hot Springs, Arkansas, fills a crucial gap in the current fast charger coverage map. It’s a tourist hotspot (pun intended) boasting the nation’s oldest National Park and the one that has seen a number of major retrofits over the years as the National Park Service updated its approach to the park in line with merging the health benefits of the natural hot springs and the surrounding natural beauty of the area.

After spending the day in the park exploring the Hot Springs, taking a hike through the woods, and grabbing some food, I hopped back onto the highway in search of more fast charging. Franklin’s Charging Little Rock location was 51 minutes from Hot Springs, so I flipped Tesla’s fantastic Full Self Driving v13 on and sat back for the ride.

Little Rock

Before I knew it, I was pulling up to what looked like one of Tesla’s Superchargers. On the left side of the property, a large solar canopy covered eight parking spots and four of Chargepoint’s fast charging stations. Over on the right hand side, a Freewire fast charger with two charging adapters provided even more opportunities for more customers to charge.

I plugged the truck in, took a few pictures, and walked over to what I was most excited about — the lounge. I shot off a quick text to the number posted on the door asking for the code to get in and looked around. The lounge is built out of shipping containers but inside it looks completely modern.

It was outside of business hours, but I was still able to go inside to make use of the vending machine, restroom, and some seating. I bought a drink from the vending machine and sat down. It was a perfect break and exactly what I needed.

About those business hours, though. Franklin’s Charging actually operates a coffee shop selling snack items and coffee on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays during select hours. This feels like a really cool exploratory push to see what customers are looking for from a full service charging operator. I spoke to JT after my visit and he confirmed that he’s passionate about giving EV drivers in the region more options and better service.

I love how Franklin’s Charging is putting their own spin on fast charging and laying out the initial investment to do it right. They’re using top of the line Chargepoint and Freewire fast charging stations supported by gorgeous lounges with modern aesthetics and quality materials.

Overall

This isn’t some fly-by-night operation that might be gone tomorrow, like many of the EVgo and Electrify America stations dropped awkwardly into poorly lit corners of outlet mall parking lots or next to the dumpsters behind a strip mall. These are fully equipped charging depots that give drivers what they really want when it’s time to fast charge. Franklin’s even has wifi if you’re in need of a fix.

It’s a really impressive effort and we will definitely be keeping an eye on Franklin’s Charging to see what they do as they scale up. More importantly, we’ll be looking out for them the next time we’re in Arkansas and I’d recommend that you do too. It’s far better than any other fast charging setup we’ve seen — and that includes Tesla — though we would welcome more competition because it’s a way better experience for customers.

For more information about Franklin’s Charging, follow them on X or head over to their website.