New Data Shows States With Highest and Lowest Number of EV Charging Stations

California has the most. Louisiana has the least per capita. But a new report found Vermont, with 139.7 electric vehicle chargers per 100,000 residents, the best state for charging stations.

Nov. 30, 2022 •

A red electric vehicle plugged into a charging station outside of Roundtree Place Shopping Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. — An electric vehicle plugged into a charging station outside of Roundtree Place Shopping Center in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.

California has approximately one-third of all the nation’s electric vehicle charging stations, the largest number by volume. New York state is second, with 20 percent of the total number, according to a new report. However, when the size of the state is accounted for, Vermont leads with 139.7 EV chargers per 100,000 residents, followed by California (104.7) and Massachusetts (70.7). Louisiana had the lowest number of EV chargers per capita, with just 8.3 chargers per 100,000 residents.

These figures, released by CoPilot, a software firm, are evidence of the growing popularity of electric vehicles over the past several years and how they have become the pathway toward carbon-free transportation. Since Tesla released its first Roadster models in 2008, the technology has greatly improved, providing drivers with longer ranges and more purchasing options.

But there are still several barriers that are blocking further development toward an all-electric future. One of the most significant is the slow development of a nationwide EV charging station network. The latest numbers show progress, but it’s not uniform across the country.

The infrastructure for charging electric vehicles has increased significantly over the last decade, with more than 115,000 chargers now available, and the numbers are only expected to grow as more funding is funneled into expanding the network. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allots $7.5 billion toward a national EV charging station network and aims to construct 500,000 chargers by 2030.

However, just increasing the raw number of chargers may not be sufficient to satisfy the growing need. To meet demand, a variety of charging stations must be included in the infrastructure network. Currently only about 20 percent are fast chargers, which add 100 miles to 200 miles of range per 30 minutes of charging. Level 2 chargers, which make up more than 78 percent of current chargers, only add approximately 25 miles of range per hour of charging, which is considered too slow for longer road travel.

While many EV owners charge their vehicles at home, increasing availability of public charging stations will not only enable drivers to travel greater distances more easily but will also improve accessibility to drivers who do not have at-home charging capabilities.