A new study from Coast looks at the density and contrast between the average number of traditional gas stations in the United States and the number of electric vehicle charging stations in the country, with the national average being 8.1 EVs per charging port.
Coast, founded by Daniel Simon in 2020, is a smart fuel card and modern expense management platform built on the Visa network. Its latest study found that the U.S. averages about 104 gas pumps per 1,000 road miles (about 1,609 kilometres). This is compared to just 22 EV charging ports.
“From 2017 to 2021, the U.S. saw a 286% increase in EV registrations nationwide going from just over 377,000 to nearly 1.5 million,” said Coast in its report. “As EV adoption continues to accelerate, one critical aspect that needs careful consideration is the accessibility and availability of EV charging stations.”
Coast used data from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Transportation to better understand the state of EV charging infrastructure in the U.S., and compared it with a network of established gas stations across the country. Their research shows that states like Nevada have 49% more EVs per vehicle registration than the national average, and 19% fewer EV ports per road mile as well. The state also has 2% more gas vehicles per vehicle registration than the national average, and 37% fewer gas pumps per road mile.
Oregon has 56 per cent more EVs and 14 per cent fewer EV ports, while Rhode Island has 26 per cent fewer EVs per vehicle registration than the national average and 205 per cent more EV ports per road mile as well. Maine has 47 per cent fewer EVs, and 5 per cent more EV ports.
You can read the full study here.
A similar issue is unfolding in Canada in which, as the number of EVs goes up, infrastructure is needed — across the country. More on that here.
