States With the Most Alternative Fueling Stations
One barrier to an all-EV future in the U.S. is the current lack of a nationwide charging infrastructure. Although the total number of EV chargers has increased from less than 500 to more than 115,000 over the last decade, they are not evenly distributed among states. To determine the states with the most alternative fueling stations, researchers calculated the number of electric vehicle charging ports per capita, then ranked states accordingly.
The number of EV charging stations in the US has increased sharply over the past decade
While EV owners frequently charge their vehicles at home, widespread availability of charging stations would allow people with EVs to travel greater distances more easily. Already over the last decade, the number of EV chargers in the U.S. has increased from less than 500 to more than 115,000. These numbers are poised to rise even faster in the near future. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in 2021 will invest $7.5 billion in a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, with a goal of building 500,000 chargers by 2030.
Only about 20 percent of chargers are fast chargers
More electric vehicle chargers will not be sufficient by themselves to increase adoption of electric vehicles. The U.S. must also add the right kinds of chargers to the mix, since different kinds of chargers replenish vehicles’ batteries at vastly different rates. Nearly four in five chargers in the U.S. currently are Level 2 chargers, which add approximately 25 miles of range per hour of charging. This rate is acceptable for charging near home or at the office, but it is too slow for anyone taking a longer trip. In contrast, the fastest chargers, DC Fast, add 100 to 200 miles of range per 30 minutes of charging—but this category only represents 21.1% of all chargers nationally.
Roughly one third of the EV chargers in the US are in California
The U.S. electric charging infrastructure must also be distributed more evenly to encourage widespread adoption of electric vehicles. One state, California, currently far outpaces the rest of the country in the availability of chargers. California is home to 41,225 electric vehicle chargers, which amounts to approximately one-third of the nation’s total. As the birthplace of Tesla and one of the country’s most environmentally progressive states, California’s robust charging infrastructure is unsurprising. Nonetheless, other states lag far behind on this measure: second-place New York has less than one-fifth the number of EV chargers as California.
When adjusting for size, however, California falls to second on the list of states with the most chargers. Instead, Vermont—a smaller state with a strong environmentalist streak—stands out as the location with the most electric vehicle charging ports per capita.
The data used in this study is from the U.S. Department of Energy. To determine the states with the most alternative fueling stations, researchers at CoPilot calculated the number of electric vehicle charging ports per capita. In the event of a tie, the state with the greater total number of electric vehicle charging ports was ranked higher. The data includes charging ports at both public and private stations.
Here are the states with the most alternative fuel stations.
15. Virginia
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 38.4
- Total EV chargers: 3,301
- Level 1 chargers: 247
- Level 2 chargers: 2,296
- DC fast chargers: 758
14. New York
Photo Credit: dibrova / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 39.4
- Total EV chargers: 7,621
- Level 1 chargers: 42
- Level 2 chargers: 6,733
- DC fast chargers: 846
13. Connecticut
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 40.2
- Total EV chargers: 1,430
- Level 1 chargers: 76
- Level 2 chargers: 1,040
- DC fast chargers: 312
12. Nevada
Photo Credit: Andrey Bayda / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 43.1
- Total EV chargers: 1,353
- Level 1 chargers: 16
- Level 2 chargers: 993
- DC fast chargers: 344
11. Maine
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 46.6
- Total EV chargers: 629
- Level 1 chargers: 24
- Level 2 chargers: 470
- DC fast chargers: 135
10. Washington
Photo Credit: mahaloshine / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 56.3
- Total EV chargers: 4,328
- Level 1 chargers: 218
- Level 2 chargers: 3,394
- DC fast chargers: 716
9. Maryland
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 56.4
- Total EV chargers: 3,416
- Level 1 chargers: 47
- Level 2 chargers: 2,785
- DC fast chargers: 584
8. Oregon
Photo Credit: Bob Pool / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 57.5
- Total EV chargers: 2,439
- Level 1 chargers: 88
- Level 2 chargers: 1,917
- DC fast chargers: 434
7. Hawaii
Photo Credit: Izabela23 / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 59.2
- Total EV chargers: 833
- Level 1 chargers: 30
- Level 2 chargers: 724
- DC fast chargers: 79
6. Rhode Island
Photo Credit: ESB Professional / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 59.4
- Total EV chargers: 628
- Level 1 chargers: 82
- Level 2 chargers: 509
- DC fast chargers: 37
5. Utah
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 60.9
- Total EV chargers: 1,978
- Level 1 chargers: 17
- Level 2 chargers: 1,722
- DC fast chargers: 239
4. Colorado
Photo Credit: Roschetzky Photography / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 68.5
- Total EV chargers: 3,978
- Level 1 chargers: 89
- Level 2 chargers: 3,307
- DC fast chargers: 582
3. Massachusetts
Photo Credit: Travellaggio / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 70.7
- Total EV chargers: 4,871
- Level 1 chargers: 74
- Level 2 chargers: 4,369
- DC fast chargers: 428
2. California
Photo Credit: Chones / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 104.7
- Total EV chargers: 41,225
- Level 1 chargers: 676
- Level 2 chargers: 33,690
- DC fast chargers: 6,817
1. Vermont
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- EV chargers per 100k residents: 139.7
- Total EV chargers: 871
- Level 1 chargers: 71
- Level 2 chargers: 725
- DC fast chargers: 75
People who want to buy an electric vehicle could get a bigger-than-expected tax credit come Jan. 1 because of a delay by the Treasury Department in drawing up rules for the tax breaks.Â
Here are answers to your EV tax program questions, including why it’s in place, what’s new in 2023 and how to claim your clean vehicle tax credit.
The federal government has announced $2.5 billion in grants to fund the construction of EV charging stations and alternative fueling infrastructure, aiming in part at increasing access in underserved neighborhoods.Â
Ford Motor Co.'s electric vehicle business lost $3 billion before taxes during the past two years and will lose a similar amount this year as the company invests heavily in the new technology, the company reported Thursday.
Fewer new electric vehicles will qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax credit later this year, and many will get only half that, under rules proposed Friday by the U.S. Treasury Department.
A new poll shows that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults are at least somewhat likely to go electric when it comes time to buy a new vehicle. They say the main deterrents are high prices and too few charging stations.Â
Under the Treasury Department rules and other provisions of last year's Inflation Reduction Act, most of the more than 60 electric or plug-in hybrids on sale in the U.S. won't get any tax credits.
At present, two main types of EV charging plugs exist: Tesla's North American Charging Standard and CCS, used by nearly all other automakers. It's not yet clear which other automakers might join Ford and GM.
