Currently the U.S. has almost 53,000 charging stations (October 2022), some with multiple chargers. They are still far outnumbered by the 145,000 gas stations in the country. The Biden administration’s dream of having a half million charger plugs by 2030 may help ease the problem. Currently, California has 29% more than any other state ( 15,182) followed by New York (3,085), Florida (2,858), and Texas (2,419) combined. It’s no surprise the four top states by GDP have the highest number of EV chargers, and California’s significant lead is also unsurprising considering its ambition to completely phase out the sale of new gas vehicles by 2035. A number of states are following their lead, including Maryland,Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington.
Check this interactive map before you travel.
Are different levels of chargers available
- Level 1: 120 -volt. Every EV or plug-in hybrid can be charged by plugging in their charging equipment to a regular wall outlet. You will get between 3-5 miles of range per hour. Very commonly used at home.
- Level 2: 208-volt to 240-volt. This charging equipment can be installed anywhere and will give you an average of 32 miles of range per hour. This charger is commonly used anywhere there are several hours available to fully charge.
- Level 3: 400-volt to 900-volt otherwise known as fast chargers -to the non-Tesla world and superchargers to Tesla owners. You will get between 3-20 miles of range per minute. Very few residential locations have the high-voltage supply that is required.
- More detailed information on charging levels here.
Do All Evs Have The Same Connector?
- Yes, generally speaking for Level One and Level Two charging.
- No, when it comes to Level Three. With the exception of Tesla which has its own proprietary North American Charging Standard (NACS), nearly every other automaker has adopted the CCS standard. This is changing, as many major car makers shift in 2024 and 2025 to the NACS system. Additionally, at the end of July, 2023, seven automakers (GM, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes Benz & Stellantis) announced a joint venture to install more than 30,000 electric vehicle charge points across America using both the NACS and the CCS standard. These charging stations will be accessible to all EV customers, regardless of brand. This charging network is to be powered solely through renewable energy sources.
- Other EV connector information can be found here.
Can All Evs Be Charged At All Charging Stations?
- Currently only Tesla can be charged at Tesla superchargers. All other EVs can only be charged at universal charging stations. This is changing.
- However, in spring, 2024, Ford, GM, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo & Polestar decided to have adapters for the Tesla superchargers. And, by 2025, all of their new vehicles will have charging ports that match the ones used in Tesla vehicles using the NACS standard.
- Electrify America, the second largest EV fast-charging network (with 800 fast charging stations and more than 3,600 plugs nationwide) also concluded in June 2023 that it will add Tesla’s connector to its charging stations by 2025, another step toward adopting Tesla’s plug as the industry standard.
- Additionally, at the end of July, 2023, seven automakers (GM, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes Benz & Stellantis) announced a joint venture to install more than 30,000 electric vehicle charge points across America using both the NACS and the CCS standard. These charging stations will be accessible to all EV customers, regardless of brand. This charging network is to be powered solely through renewable energy sources.
How can chargers be found when on a road trip?
- Travel booking sites such as Hotels.com have an EV charger filter (but whether Tesla or Universal isn’t clear). Airbnb Inc. has an EV charging filter as well, and last year said over 850,000 properties included it as an amenity. Tesla owners can search the company’s website for “destination charging” stations at hotels across North America.
What are the federal government plans?
As America works towards Biden’s goal of having half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 be zero-emissions vehicles, charging infrastructure across the nation is essential in improving accessibility and convenience for drivers. By September, 2022, the Biden administration had already given early approval to 35 states’ EV infrastructure plans, granting them access to $900 million in funding as part of the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program set to be distributed over the next five years, an initiative to create a coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle chargers.
In February, 2023 the Biden Administration announced a full list of their new standards and major progress in the Made-in-America National Network of EV chargers plan. As part of the ambition is to have 500,000 chargers by 2030 (up from the 130,000 publicly available currently), all funded EV chargers must be built in the U.S. The standards aim to ensure that:
- Charging is predictable and reliable
- Chargers are working when drivers need them
- Drivers can easily find a charger when they need to
- Drivers do not have to use multiple apps and accounts to charge
- Chargers will support drivers’ need well into the future
The idea is that the standards will ensure that chargers operated by different networks operate similarly and provide a predictable charging experience. Other highlights from the February announcement were:
- Tesla agreed, for the first time, to open a portion of its U.S. network to non-Tesla EVs, making at least 7,500 chargers available for all EVs by the end of 2024. Additionally, Tesla will more than double its full nationwide network of Superchargers.
- Private companies are making major investments to establish new headquarters, facilities or production lines to build the next generation of EV chargers in the U.S. Manufacturing facilities in California, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Maryland will be creating thousands of jobs.
More information on the Biden Administration’s ambitions, here.
Are federal incentives available for either both home or business?
Yes. Good information from Kiplinger here.
