Study: U.S Needs Fast Ramp-Up in EV Charging Network

The number of charging stations in the U.S. must grow at an annual rate of 20% to support the forecasted growth of plug-in hybrid and full electric vehicles through 2025, says a report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

The Washington, D.C.-based group expects more than 3 million such vehicles will be on the road in the U.S. by 2025. As of the end of 2017, the U.S. had installed only about 25% of the charging network necessary to meet future demand levels, ICCT says.

The number of workplace, public and DC fast chargers has grown from 6,900 nationally in 2012 to about 61,000 by the end of 2017. ICCT says nearly three-fourths of the chargers are located in the 100 most populous metropolitan areas.

But 88 of the 100 largest markets in the U.S. had less than half of the required charging stations in place to meet estimated demand levels for 2025, according to the report. The largest gaps were found in markets where EVs are expected to grow the fastest, including Boston, New York, Portland, Denver, Washington, D.C., and several California cities.

ICCT notes that California and some other markets have aggressive infrastructure deployment plans to expand charging networks. But such efforts are uneven and should be escalated in other areas with collaboration among government and industry partners, the report concludes.