Someone called this place “a gas station for EVs,” and they meant it as a compliment. After walking through Rove’s new Costa Mesa location — Rove, charged by Gelson’s — I’d say it’s more accurate than that. It’s what a gas station should have been.
This is location number two in Southern California. The Santa Ana location has been open for nearly two years now. Costa Mesa just came online, and I got there for the opening event with my wrapped Model Y — a little dirty, but looking good parked next to a chameleon-wrapped Model S Plaid that was turning heads all afternoon.
Rove Costa Mesa Hardware
Twenty-eight Tesla V3.5 Superchargers rated up to 325 kW. Solar canopy covering the entire stall area. And alongside the Tesla hardware, Rove’s own branded charging dispensers covering every connector standard that matters right now: NACS, CCS, and CHAdeMO.
The Rove-branded NACS chargers top out at 184 kW. CCS goes up to 350 kW. Four of the dispensers on the far end have NACS cables — the rest are CCS-primary with CHAdeMO for anyone still running that standard. Two Nissan Ariyas were plugged in when I arrived, which tells you the non-Tesla charging actually works.
The location shows up on Tesla’s in-car map, so you can precondition before you arrive. That’s not guaranteed at third-party stations — worth knowing.
Inside the ReCharge Market
Here’s where Rove separates itself. While your car charges, you’re not stuck staring at a parking lot.
The layout: a lounge area near the entrance with actual seating, four clean restrooms — a number that sounds unremarkable until you think about how many Supercharger locations have zero — and vending machines accessible after hours when Gelson’s closes. The market itself is through the lounge: grab-and-go meals, refreshments, craft beer, snacks. The kind of stop you’d actually want to make mid-route.
It’s the same concept they nailed at Santa Ana. Costa Mesa matches it.
Payment and Plugging In
Three ways to pay at the Rove dispensers:
- Tap-to-pay — Apple Pay, Android Pay, any contactless card. Hit Start on the screen and you’re done.
- Rove Charging app — scan the QR code on the dispenser, plug in, tap continue.
- RFID — business accounts and fleet use. Think gas card, but for EVs.
No membership required. The tap-to-pay option keeps friction low for anyone pulling in for the first time.
Real Numbers
I plugged in the Model Y at 48% state of charge on a NACS connector — no preconditioning, walked straight from the lot to the charger.
Started at 82 kW, settled at 85–86 kW and held. At 48% SOC without thermal prep on a warm afternoon, that’s about what you’d expect. The NACS dispensers cap at 184 kW, but the battery wasn’t asking for that much without a precondition session first.
Rate at time of visit: 44 cents per kWh — introductory pricing, roughly a 10-cent discount from standard. Bumped the limit to 80% before heading out for the night.
Is Rove Costa Mesa Worth the Stop?
If you’re in Costa Mesa or passing through Orange County and you’re under 50%, yes. The hardware handles every EV currently on the road, the NACS and CCS options are real, the amenities make the wait disappear, and the pricing is competitive. Down the street from Tokyo Central if you know that area — easy to pair.
For context on how the different connector standards work when charging a non-Tesla at a Tesla network or vice versa, the adapter guide is worth a read.
The SoCal EV community was out in force at the opening. Good crowd, good energy. Rove is building something real here.
Let me know what you think in the comments — and if you’ve charged at either Rove location, drop your numbers below.
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