As the electric vehicle (EV) industry grows, so does the number of public EV charging stations. While the trend of more EV infrastructure is sure to continue, many people are wondering if there are enough stations available to stay charged.
How many EV charging stations are out there?
There are now over 130,000 public EV charging stations throughout the U.S., more than quintupling since 2014. And the trend isn't likely to slow down, with one estimate putting the market value of EV stations at $100 billion by the year 2040 (up from $7 billion today).
The federal government has also promised to build a massive network of half a million more along the nation's highways by 2030 so that far more Americans will have access to charging stations. Additionally, some of the nation's charging stations which were previously only accessible to Tesla owners will now be available to any EV owner.
Luckily, the government isn't the only entity planning on building more of these publicly accessible chargers. Tons of restaurants and stores like Subway, IKEA, Kroger, Walmart, and Target (among many others) are all building out EV charging infrastructure in their stores throughout the country.
But you don't have to rely on the benevolence of large corporations for charging stations. These stores are strategically adding public charging stations because customers tend to spend more time and money inside, thanks to their presence.
And while the number of charging stations in the U.S. is growing rapidly, it's important to note that there are still areas where charging stations are sparse. This can be a problem for EV owners who live in rural areas or who travel long distances.
So, you may not even have to wait until there are more charging stations before investing in an EV, unless you live in a rural area without an abundance of these public chargers or regularly go on long road trips.
Plus, most EV owners charge their vehicles at home and only use public charging stations when they're traveling. So, if you decide to go for an EV, just know that every single year it's getting easier to find a public charging station on the road.
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