Our Data Sources
How We Build the Directory
ChargingNear.me aggregates, cross-references, and enriches data from multiple authoritative sources to build the most comprehensive EV charging station directory in the United States. Every station in our database is validated against at least one primary source, and most are cross-referenced against multiple sources for accuracy.
Primary Data Sources
- US Department of Energy — NREL Alternative Fuel Stations
- Our primary station inventory. Provides station name, address, coordinates, connector types, network, pricing, and access information for 60,000+ public EV charging stations. Sync frequency: daily. NREL API documentation.
- Google Places API
- Enriches stations with photos, business hours, ratings, review counts, and place IDs. Helps verify station names and addresses against Google's business listings. Sync frequency: weekly.
- OpenChargeMap (OCM)
- Community-contributed connector-level detail including kW ratings, voltage, amperage, and real-time status where available. Particularly valuable for international connector standards and older stations not fully described in NREL. Sync frequency: weekly.
- OpenStreetMap (OSM)
- Location cross-validation and amenity context (covered parking, lighting, wheelchair accessibility). Community-maintained with global coverage. Sync frequency: weekly.
- TomTom EV Search API
- Real-time availability data where supported by the charging network. Provides connector-level status (available, occupied, out of service). Sync frequency: on-demand.
Supplementary Data Sources
- US Census Bureau
- Population, median income, and demographic data at the city and county level. Used for per-capita charging statistics and demand modeling. Sync frequency: annual.
- EPA eGRID
- Grid subregion CO2 emission rates used to calculate CO2 savings from EV charging vs. gasoline. Sync frequency: annual.
- Regrid
- Public parcel data used in our property owner tools to validate site addresses and provide ownership context for B2B assessments.
Data Licensing
Station data on ChargingNear.me is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0) license. When using our data, please attribute both ChargingNear.me and the US Department of Energy NREL as upstream sources. See our developer documentation for API access details.