Because ChargePoint is a platform, not a fleet. ChargePoint sells hardware and software to independent hosts — workplaces, garages, cities, dealerships — and each host chooses what to install. A “ChargePoint station” can be anything from a 3.3 kW wall unit from 2013 to a 350 kW DC cabinet, and the app shows them all under the same brand.
The four speed tiers hiding under one name
Old Level 2 (3.3–6.6 kW). Early-2010s installs, common at workplaces and city garages. Adds 10–20 miles per hour. Fine for an 8-hour workday, useless for a lunch stop.
Modern Level 2 (7.2–19.2 kW). The standard current install. Adds 25–50 miles per hour, limited also by your car’s onboard AC charger — an EV with a 7.2 kW onboard charger gets 7.2 kW from a 19.2 kW station.
Mid-range DC (62.5 kW). ChargePoint’s most common fast-charging hardware. Real fast charging, but a third the speed of the 150–350 kW cabinets you meet on highways. This tier is where most “why is this DC charger so slow” surprises happen.
High-power DC (150–350 kW). Newer installs at highway-oriented sites. Measured average across ChargePoint’s 150+ kW hardware in our data: 142 kW, with 71% of stalls hitting their rated speed.
How to know before you arrive
The app lists each port’s kW rating — read the number, not the brand. Filter for DC if you need speed. Assume a “62.5 kW” listing means 45–60 kW delivered once your car’s curve and any cabinet sharing are factored in (why delivered trails rated). And since hosts also set prices and maintenance standards, check recent session activity too — the signals that matter.
The host-run model is also why ChargePoint’s measured uptime (94.8%) is self-reported-only and host-dependent: an attentive host fixes a stall in days, an absentee host never does. How ChargePoint compares on every dimension is in the network table.