It’s 2024, and electrification of everything, including vehicles, is in full swing. As of July 2024, 9.3% of US residents own EVs. Despite the growing inclination toward EVs, states are working on the EV infrastructure to meet the demand. While some have recognized the alarming situation, a few have yet to take notice of it.
New Jersey
New Jersey’s commitment to sustainable transportation is evident in its ambitious plan to phase out ICEs by 2035. However, the state’s current EV infrastructure, with 3,927 public charging ports for 125,317 registered EVs, raises questions about its readiness for the transition. Nonetheless, New Jersey secured $22 million in NEVI funding in 2024. Thus, it won’t be out of the blue if you see EV infrastructure dramatically improving here.
Nevada
Can you imagine how hard it could be for an EV owner to find a public charging spot in a state offering one port for almost 21 EVs? Well, that’s the state of EV infrastructure in Nevada. For 44,060 EVs registered, only 2,109 public charging ports are serving. Despite the current scarcity of public charging ports in Nevada, particularly in its vast rural areas, there is hope on the horizon. The state’s approval of a second rollout year for expanding the EV infrastructure signals a promising future.
Washington
Washington is ranked among the top few on the list when it comes to EV adoption. However, we are afraid to say that it can’t maintain the same positions if we head on to a list of the states with the best EV infrastructure. It accommodates 141,055 registered electric vehicles as of August 2024. It is pretty impressive until there are just 5835 charging ports for all the registered vehicles.
Yes, if you own an EV in Washington, you will compete with 23 other EV owners to get your car charged at public charging ports. However, the state has an $85 million grant to expand EV charging stations, which is expected to make the EV’s popularity worthwhile.
Alaska
Alaska is at the bottom of the list if you study the map of the total EV charging ports provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. With just 122 public charging spots available, 20 out of the 2,538 registered vehicles are bound to go after one charging port.
However, Alaska expects to receive $52 Million over five years under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. It aims at enhancing the EV infrastructure considerably over the next few years.
Hawaii
Hawaii is one of the worst states when it comes to EV infrastructure, with only one public charging port available for around 29 out of 24,195 registered EVs. However, the state hopes to improve with the NEVI funding, as the first NEVI-funded charging station opened its doors to EV owners in February 2024. This inauguration makes it the fourth state to show any results from the NEVI funding.
Arizona
Arizona is currently facing a considerable EV infrastructure crisis, with just 3,671 working EV charging ports for 84,611 electric vehicles. One port for 23 electric vehicles is not even close to an ideal count. That being said, the state made its name on the list of states deemed eligible for NEVI funding.
Therefore, it is set to receive $76.5 Million to establish EV charging stations. Moreover, the Arizona Department of Transportation has recently announced the possibility of adding nine highways to an EV fast charging station’s planned network.
Illinois
Illinois let Arizona surpass in the race for EV infrastructure with one public port available for 25 EVs. There are just 3,616 open charging ports for 93,021 EVs in Illinois. What’s more concerning is that the state still doesn’t seem to be actively working on expanding projects for EV infrastructure.
However, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s director, John Kim, has mentioned that the $25.1 million grants received by the state for improving EV infrastructure will result in a 100% increase in the current fast charging stations.
Florida
Just like its riverside arts market, the EV market is huge in Florida. Standing next to California, it is the second-largest state when it comes to housing registered EVs. Nonetheless, some facts will make you question if the states really want that.
Only 10,149 charging ports for a mindblowing 231,518 registered electric vehicles allows one port allocation for 23 EVs. Even though the state has a huge grant in the NEVI funding category, it seems to be sitting on federal funds. The program offers about $198 million in grants over the next five years, which Florida has happily accepted. However, it might won’t allow companies to apply for the generated funds even after the approval of EV infrastructure programs. Do you smell a rat here? So do we!
Texas
Right next to Florida, Texas is the third largest EV-housing state, with 210,433 registered electric vehicles. Unfortunately, it follows Florida even regarding the EV infrastructure status. Only 9,657 public charging ports for this huge number of EVs designate one port for 22 EVs, which makes things difficult.
Even though the state is part of the NEVI funding plans, the additional fee to register EVs has kept EV adoption considerably slower in the past year. However, Texas is to receive $407.8 million in 2022-2026, which is supposed to be directed to improving EV infrastructure. The state has now mapped out two plans and got them approved to move ahead in the EV world.
Oklahoma
With 1,302 public charging stations for 22,845 registered EVs, Oklahoma has one available port for 17 vehicles. However, things are about to take a positive turn, as the state’s transportation commission recently approved $8 million in funds for three companies to add 13 EV charging stations. Following that, Oklahoma is set to kick off its first round of the NEVI program.
The EV Charging Outlook
We have explored the pressing issue of many states lagging in developing a robust charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. However, experts predict a surge in fast charging stations as the demand for EVs continues to grow. Moreover, innovative models such as integrating charging stations and ports into retail spaces are likely to emerge. While it sounds promising, prices for charging may fluctuate depending on when and where you charge. Let’s see how things turn out.
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Zainab Noor is a motoring journalist. Childhood rides in Nissan Almera fueled her love for cars. After graduating from AIOU in 2021, she steered her passion into freelance writing. You can find Zainab on LinkedIn.
