With demand expected to soar for electric vehicles (EVs) due to changing government mandates, efforts to curb climate change and consumer sentiment favoring these vehicles, more than 1.7 million charging stations will be needed in the U.S. by 2030.
The forecast from the Fuels Institute is based on sales of plug-in EVs reaching 2.78 million units by 2030 and EVs in operation would exceed 18 million. However, this may be on the conservative side as more automotive OEMs are accelerating plans to increase EV output in the coming years and new mandates are emerging to phase out gasoline and diesel vehicle purchases, such as California’s new law requiring all new cars sold in the state to be free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
If there are more EVs on the road by 2030, the number of charging stations may be substantially larger, the Fuels Institute said.
“The market for electric vehicles continues to grow at an accelerating pace, yet there remains great uncertainty regarding how fast these vehicles will gain significant market share, how many chargers we will need, when and where we will need them and what kind of chargers will be required in different locations,” said John Eichberger, executive director at the Fuels Institute.
The repot from the Fuels Institute helps to prioritize where business and taxpayer dollars should be invested to deliver the greatest value to drivers and where the likely bulk of EV sales will be seen in the coming decade.
15 state priority
The forecast comes as the Fuels Institute identified 15 states that need to be prioritized for charging stations in the coming years given sales data, demographics and state mandates.
Currently, nearly 41% of all EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs in the U.S. are in California. So, naturally, that state tops the list as the prime priority for installation of new infrastructure for EV charging stations. Other high population states such as Florida, New Jersey, New York and Texas are also seeing strong EV growth putting them on the priority list.
The remaining states include Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming. While these states have low EV ownership currently, EV adoption rates are expected to explode as the U.S. automotive industry continues its transition to EV sales, the Fuels Institute said.
Outside of these 15 states there are pockets where more EV charging stations will be needed such as in major cities, but statewide there will not be as large of a requirement due to adoption levels not being as strong.