Volta Charging
Volta Charging (Volta Inc.) was a U.S. EV charging network operator that combined Level 2 charging stations with digital advertising screens (Volta Media) at retail and commercial destinations. Acquired by Shell in 2023, it was shut down by end of 2025, with assets largely transferred to JOLT Charge in 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Volta Charging does
Volta Charging (legal entity Volta Inc.) was a San Francisco-based electric vehicle charging network operator founded in 2010. The company designed, installed, and maintained Level 2 EV charging stations co-located with high-traffic retail destinations — shopping centers, grocery stores, entertainment venues, and lifestyle hubs — across the United States. Its core product combined charging hardware with the Volta Media digital out-of-home advertising platform, embedding screens at each charging site to monetize driver dwell time through brand advertising while offering EV drivers accessible charging at retail locations.
Volta's business model was a dual-revenue construct: usage-based fees from charging sessions plus advertising revenue from screens displayed during those sessions. The implicit logic was that advertising would subsidize or eliminate consumer charging costs, driving utilization and ad inventory value. The company raised approximately $300M in 2021 (with BlackRock, Fidelity, and Neuberger Berman participating) and was publicly listed under NYSE:VLTA following a 2021 SPAC transaction, before being acquired by Shell in 2023 for $169 million. Post-acquisition, Volta reported annual losses of approximately $140M; Shell attempted to divest the business in 2025 without success and announced operational shutdown — ending Volta Media by October 31, 2025 and all charging operations by December 31, 2025, affecting approximately 190 employees. In early 2026, JOLT Charge acquired a substantial portion of the network and media assets from Shell, and the original Volta Charging brand ceased to operate as a standalone entity.
Volta Charging firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Volta Charging
- Legal name
- Volta Inc.
- Website
- https://voltacharging.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Volta Charging (Volta Inc.) was a U.S. EV charging network operator that combined Level 2 charging stations with digital advertising screens (Volta Media) at retail and commercial destinations. Acquired by Shell in 2023, it was shut down by end of 2025, with assets largely transferred to JOLT Charge in 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Volta Charging industry classification
Industry- Product category
- EV Charging Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- EV Charging Network Management & Software Services (CPMS, Monitoring, Billing) (TLAKAMAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- EV Charging Forecourt Retail (Charge-Integrated Convenience) (CRAHABAJ), EV Charging Hardware Manufacturing (AC/DC Chargers/Dispensers) (IMACACAE)
Keywords
Where Volta Charging is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Volta Charging business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- EV Charging Fees: Revenue generated from EV charging sessions at Volta's network of public charging stations located at retail and commercial destinations.
- Advertising (Volta Media): Revenue from digital out-of-home advertising displayed on screens at Volta charging stations. Shell discontinued Volta Media operations by October 31, 2025.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Volta Charging product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Volta Charging designed, installed, and operated a public network of Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations co-located with digital out-of-home advertising screens (Volta Media) at retail and commercial destinations such as shopping centers, grocery stores, and lifestyle hubs. The company monetized the network through two parallel revenue streams: per-session EV charging fees and advertising sold on the integrated station screens, with advertising often subsidizing or fully covering the cost of charging for drivers.
Product overview
Volta Charging was an electric vehicle charging company that operated a network of dual-purpose charging stations combined with digital advertising displays through its Volta Media platform. The company offered EV charging at retail locations and public sites, monetized through advertising on charging station screens. Shell acquired Volta in 2023 for $169 million, subsequently shut down operations in 2025, and JOLT acquired a substantial portion of the Volta EV charging and media network in early 2026. As the company has been discontinued, no active products or services remain.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Volta Media: The advertising/media network platform integrated with Volta EV charging stations, displaying digital advertisements on charging station screens.
Products and services
- Public EV Charging Service
- Volta Media Advertising Network
Companies that use Volta Charging
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Volta Charging technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Volta Charging partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- JOLT ChargeminorJOLT Charge acquired a substantial portion of the Volta EV charging and media network from Shell, with the acquisition beginning in early 2026. JOLT, which operates an EV charging network across the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK, took over Volta's former retail-based charging locations and media network to accelerate its U.S. expansion.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Volta Charging competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ChargePoint: ChargePoint operates one of the largest public EV charging networks in North America, providing Level 2 and DC fast charging stations at retail, workplace, and commercial destinations — a comparable network operating model to Volta's destination-charging approach.
- EVgo: EVgo is a public EV charging network operator focused primarily on DC fast charging, but also operates Level 2 stations at retail and commercial locations, competing for similar host sites and EV drivers as Volta did.
- Blink Charging: Blink Charging designs, owns, and operates EV charging equipment and networks at commercial, retail, and residential locations, with a Level 2 portfolio highly comparable to Volta's installed base.
- Electrify America: Electrify America operates a U.S. public EV charging network including Level 2 workplace/retail and DC fast charging, directly overlapping with Volta's retail-co-located charging model and competing for the same driver population.
- JOLT Charge: JOLT acquired a substantial portion of Volta's charging and media network from Shell in early 2026, making it the direct successor operating Volta's former retail-based charging locations with a similar advertising-supported charging model across the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
Broad incumbents
- Tesla Supercharger: Tesla's Supercharger network is the largest dedicated EV fast-charging network in the U.S. and increasingly open to non-Tesla vehicles, representing the dominant incumbent that any retail destination operator including Volta/JOLT must compete against for driver mindshare.
- Shell Recharge: Shell's in-house EV charging business is the strategic direction chosen over Volta after the acquisition failed; it operates charging at Shell-branded fuel retail locations and overlaps with Volta's previous convenience/destination charging footprint.
- bp pulse: bp pulse is the e-mobility arm of BP operating public and fleet EV charging infrastructure in the U.S. and globally; as another major oil major e-mobility entrant, it competes with the broader charging destination strategy Volta pursued under Shell.
Regional players
- Allego: Allego operates a pan-European public EV charging network spanning destination, fast, and ultra-fast charging — comparable in business model to Volta's network operator role, but focused on European geographies rather than the U.S.
- FLO: FLO is a Canadian-headquartered EV charging network operator with both Level 2 and DC fast charging deployed across North America, including U.S. locations that compete for retail and commercial host sites similar to Volta.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Volta Charging social profiles
Digital presenceVolta Charging financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Volta Charging leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Volta Charging subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Volta Charging funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds20 records
Investors28 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Volta Charging M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Volta Charging
What does Volta Charging do?
Volta Charging designed, installed, and operated a public network of Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations co-located with digital out-of-home advertising screens (Volta Media) at retail and commercial destinations such as shopping centers, grocery stores, and lifestyle hubs. The company monetized the network through two parallel revenue streams: per-session EV charging fees and advertising sold on the integrated station screens, with advertising often subsidizing or fully covering the cost of charging for drivers.
Is Volta Charging a public or private company?
Volta Charging is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently closed.
When was Volta Charging founded?
Volta Charging was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Volta Charging based?
Volta Charging is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Volta Charging make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. EV Charging Fees are the primary driver. The others are advertising (Volta Media).
Who are Volta Charging's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink Charging, Electrify America and JOLT Charge. Broad incumbents are Tesla Supercharger, Shell Recharge and bp pulse. Regional players are Allego and FLO.
Does Volta Charging have an API?
No public API is recorded for Volta Charging.
What industry is Volta Charging in?
Volta Charging's product category is EV Charging Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAKAMAG, EV Charging Network Management & Software Services (CPMS, Monitoring, Billing), with a secondary code of CRAHABAJ, EV Charging Forecourt Retail (Charge-Integrated Convenience). Its NAICS code is 2211 and its SIC code is 4911.