PositivEnergy will deploy approximately 435 DC fast and Level 2 EV charging ports across Philadelphia under an expanded partnership with the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. The Miami-based charging operator announced the project through PR Newswire, framing it as the largest single-city deployment in its portfolio to date. PositivEnergy operates under a Charging-as-a-Service model and is a Sourcewell-certified vendor for EV charging infrastructure and fleet electrification, positioning it for municipal contracts without a competitive solicitation step.
Highlights
- Approximately 435 DC fast charging and Level 2 ports planned for Philadelphia, covering residents, commuters, and visitors
- PositivEnergy reports greater than 90% charger uptime across its network, a figure the company says outperforms industry averages
- Company footprint now exceeds 500 charging ports deployed at municipalities, airports, universities, stadiums, and utility sites
- Deployment built around PositivAssess, the company’s proprietary site-selection platform aimed at reducing underutilization
Scope of the Philadelphia Deployment
The expanded agreement covers approximately 435 DC fast and Level 2 ports installed across the city, building on existing work between PositivEnergy and Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. The release does not break out the DC fast versus Level 2 split, the geographic distribution across neighborhoods, the cost of the program, or the construction timeline.
Anna Kelly, Senior Policy Advisor for EV and Parking in Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, framed the program as an equity initiative. “Philadelphia’s goal is to make EV charging more accessible, reliable, and equitable for residents in neighborhoods across the city,” Kelly said. “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 PositivEnergy contract sits alongside other curbside and public-charging initiatives in the city, including a separate plan by it’s electric and the City of Philadelphia to deploy up to 1,000 Level 2 curbside chargers across all 18 planning districts, pending a June City Council vote.
Reliability as the Pitch
PositivEnergy’s positioning leans on operational reliability rather than network size. The company reports greater than 90% charger uptime and describes its model as combining hardware, software, and high-touch service. Both figures are self-reported and the release does not cite a third-party audit.
Industry data has consistently shown a gap between headline uptime numbers and the experience drivers encounter at the plug. A recent ChargerHelp study found that nearly one-third of charging attempts fail despite reported uptime in the 98 to 99 percent range, with first-time charge success rates falling below 70% by year three of station life. Against that backdrop, a sustained 90% uptime claim is meaningful only with verification — a caveat that applies across the public charging sector, not specifically to PositivEnergy.
CEO Ed Wise framed the company’s approach in the announcement. “Drivers should not have to wonder whether a charger will work when they arrive. Our focus is simple: build infrastructure that is reliable, accessible, and built to last,” Wise said. He added that 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.”
The PositivAssess Platform and Charging-as-a-Service
The company markets a proprietary site-selection tool called PositivAssess, which it says identifies high-performing charging locations before deployment to reduce the risk of underutilized infrastructure. The release does not detail the inputs the tool uses, the data sources behind it, or independent validation of its outputs.
PositivEnergy’s commercial model is Charging-as-a-Service, under which municipalities, retailers, and commercial property owners contract for charging infrastructure without taking on day-to-day operations. The company is a Sourcewell-certified vendor, a cooperative purchasing designation that allows public entities to procure under a pre-competed contract rather than running a separate solicitation. That status is the structural lever behind the company’s municipal pipeline.
National Footprint
PositivEnergy reports it has deployed more than 500 charging ports across municipalities, airports, universities, stadiums, utilities, and enterprise sites. Named locations include Ventura, White Plains, Torrance, Chapel Hill, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Duke University, Arizona State University, Inter Miami CF Stadium, and NextEra Energy. Philadelphia represents the largest single-city addition disclosed in this announcement.
The company’s stated background in power electronics and battery energy storage systems is positioned as relevant to integrated charging-and-storage site design — a category that has gained attention as utilities and operators navigate grid-capacity constraints at high-power charging hubs.
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