Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the U.S. now stretch nationwide, but these stations largely are divided by economic and racial lines, according to a new analysis by Bumper.com.
The study found that the top economic fifth of U.S. counties account for nearly one-third, or 32.60%, of all EV charge ports in the country. The bottom economic fifth of U.S. counties have access to less than 20% of EV charging stations and ports.
When analyzed by income, Bumper.com found that more than seven out of every 10 EV charge ports are in the richest U.S. counties. However, more than one-third of U.S. counties don’t have public EV charging stations.
These so-called areas of “EV charging deserts” are a problem as the automotive industry transitions from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles to all-electric fleets. Automotive OEMs are seeking to transition to nearly completely electrified models in the next 10 to 15 years and if the EV charging divide is not dealt with, it may hinder this transition.
Racial divide
Moreover, the study found that nearly 95.6% of EV chargers are in counties with majority white populations compared to 4% in counties with predominantly black populations.
These disparities, as well as the disparity in income groups, show the challenges and opportunities for building an EV charging network nationwide, the study found. However, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest $7.5 billion for a national EV recharging network of 500,000 charging stations. The Biden Administration has a goal to have 50% of all new vehicles to be electric by 2030.
The full research can be found in Bumper.com’s EV Deserts report.
