Maguire: Slow rollout of charge points could stall US EV sales momentum

The United States has seen a 140% increase in electric vehicle sales since 2023. However, further growth could be hindered if public charging stations are not rolled out more evenly and at a slower pace.

According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. electric vehicle registrations will reach just over 3.5 millions by September 2024.

This is up from 1.4m registrations in 2023 and represents the steepest growth rate ever in EV adoption in the country.

AFDC data show that the number of public EV chargers has increased by just 22% in the same time period to 176 032 units.

The slower rollout of charging infrastructure could cause backlogs and discourage potential buyers from purchasing EVs if they anticipate uncertain waiting times when recharging their cars.

PAN-AMERICAN GROWTH

The country has seen a 2 million increase in EV registrations since 2023, though roughly 70% of that growth occurred in the 10 biggest EV-driving States.

This list includes Washington state, New Jersey and New York as well as Georgia, Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, Georgia and Florida.

AFDC data show that collectively, these 10 states increased EV registrations from just under 2.5 million to nearly 1.5 million.

California is still the leading EV market with nearly 700,000 registrations up to 1.25 millions as of September.

Washington, New Jersey, and New York, the only other states, have EV registrations above 100,000.

The growth of EV registrations was also rapid outside of these main states. 38 states and the District of Columbia saw a 100% increase or more in this year.

Oklahoma had the highest increase in EV registrations from last year, rising 218% to almost 23,000.

Arkansas, Michigan and South Carolina all saw increases of at least 180%, while 18 other states experienced increases over 150%.

As of September, every state and district except North Dakota had at least 1,000 EVs registered.

NEVI MOMENTUM

If current incentives for purchasing EVs are continued by the new administration in the United States after the presidential election on November 5, this will determine the future growth of EVs.

These incentives are crucial in determining the competitiveness of EVs compared to combustion-powered cars.

Donald Trump, if he wins the presidency, has promised to cut federal EV funding.

The number and size of public charging stations will also be important to many potential EV buyers.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program launched by the Biden administration is a key driver of charge point growth and provides public funding to states to deploy a network of strategically-located EV chargers.

The pace of the rollout of charge points has been slower than expected due to several factors, including the difficulty in identifying and building suitable sites as well as the slow pace at which utilities are connected to local grids.

The lack of qualified technicians, as well as key equipment for charging stations and other installation teams, has also slowed down the pace of construction.

Charge Point Growth

Ten states are also home to the majority of public EV charging points, with 176,032 in total.

Seven of the ten largest states that have public charging points are also on the list of top 10 EV registrations. These include California (49433), New York (11,114), Florida (9763), Texas (8637), Washington (5,817) Washington (5,817) Colorado (5432) Georgia (4994).

Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia complete the top 10.

Connecticut, Louisiana Delaware and Indiana all saw their EV charging points grow at rates exceeding 40% compared to the previous year.

Additional 38 states reported EV charging point increases of 20% or greater.

AFDC data indicates that 32 states and districts will have at least 1,000 public EV charging points by September 2024.

The remaining 13 states are divided between 500-999 charging points. West Virginia, Montana Wyoming, South Dakota North Dakota, Alaska, and Wyoming have fewer than 500 public chargers.

In the future, the majority of growth in EV sales as well as the number of charge points installed will likely remain in the states with the most EV drivers.

The strong growth in EV registrations in every state in the last year shows that EVs are popular even outside of the traditional strongholds.

To maintain this pace, it is necessary to have a more dense charging network that runs coast-to-coast and includes rural areas.

(source: Reuters)