Electric vehicle adoption remains on the rise, with sales between April and June 2024 setting a new quarterly record. But the rate has slowed a bit over the last year. Public charging infrastructure might play a role in this, with too few chargers available and inconsistent reliability with those already installed.

However, public funds from COVID-era stimulus bills are becoming available, and vehicle makers are teaming up to build new charging networks. For the longer term, progress is being made on new technology that could do away with corded chargers entirely, with the potential to add a level of convenience gas-powered vehicles have never had.

Public EV charging experiences a growth spurt ... finally

While a drop in EV sales during the first quarter of 2024 gained a lot of media coverage, second-quarter figures recovered substantially. Manufacturers saw sales climb 23% compared to Q1, and 11% over second-quarter 2023 sales, according to Kelley Blue Book estimates. Notably, this uptick occurred even as market leader Tesla saw a decline, dropping below 50% of the total U.S. market—to 49.7%—for the first time. This indicates EV sales are becoming more competitive as other manufacturers build out their lineups.

Affordability is also becoming less of an issue for prospective buyers, as many manufacturers aim for price points under $30,000. Chevrolet’s new Equinox EV 1LT, anticipated to hit dealer lots this year, is one example. It is expected to have a sticker price around $34,000 and, because it qualifies for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit, total cost for this base model will fall well under $30,000, making it one of the more affordable light-duty vehicles available, regardless of drive train.

But pricing isn’t everything—charging availability also is an issue. Even though most EV owners do most of their charging at home, proximity to public charging infrastructure also appears to have an effect on consumers’ interest in purchasing these vehicles—perhaps because simply seeing available chargers in their daily lives gives prospective buyers greater confidence that they’ll be able to find a charger when they need one.

The Pew Research Center documented this phenomenon in a May report, “Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in the U.S.” Researchers found that those who live closest to chargers view EVs more positively. For example, 49% of respondents living within one mile of a public charger favored phasing out production of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and trucks by 2035, while only 30% of those living two or more miles away felt the same way. About half of those within a mile of a public charger say they are very or somewhat likely to consider buying an EV, compared to just 27% of those living more than two miles away.

State of public charging

At the end of 2023, there were just over 64,000 public charging stations of all types in the United States, with a total of 175,575 charging outlets. This includes DC fast-charging units that can get a low battery up to 80% of its capacity in a half hour or so, and slower Level 2 models that can take 6–8 hours to provide the same charge. By comparison, the charging industry trade groups estimate the United States is also home to more than 145,000 gas stations.

But these facilities aren’t distributed evenly across the country. California, for example, is home to a quarter of all public chargers. Given the state’s 1.2 million EVs, however, this puts the state at the bottom of the list in terms of the ratio of public charging points to registered vehicles. Pew researchers also found that EV charging stations can be found in two-thirds of all U.S. counties, which collectively include 95% of the country’s population.

Just because a charger is installed doesn’t mean it’s usable. A June study from Harvard Business School argues that U.S. charging stations have an average reliability score of 78%. This means that, at any given time, more than 20% of stations or individual ports might not be working. These researchers used artificial intelligence to examine more than a million charging station reviews written by drivers across North America, Europe and Asia over a 10-year period and identified a number of problems beyond reliability, including:

• ICE vehicle owners sometimes use charging ports as parking spots, blocking EV drivers from charging equipment.
• Pricing models can be inconsistent and nontransparent as they are based on flat kilowatt-hour consumption, time-of-use rates, speed-of-charge rates or some combination. As a result, EV owners have no way to compare prices when multiple charging options are available.
• There is a lack of equity as to where charging equipment is located.
• For commercial drivers—whose occupation is based on driving—lack of charger availability can negatively affect their income.

Addressing the issues

EV infrastructure was a focus of 2021’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which pledged $7.5 billion to boost public charging. This includes $5 billion for the National EV Infrastructure program to build a backbone of high-speed chargers spaced no fewer than every 50 miles along major roads, freeways and interstates. The remaining $2.5 billion is available through competitive grants for states and localities to fill in gaps. While these federal dollars were slow to roll out, they are now starting to have an impact, with the U.S. Department of Energy reporting that almost 700 new fast-charging stations opened during just the second quarter of 2024.

Car manufacturers recognize they need to be in the charging game, too. In late 2023, seven major players—BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis—formed the joint venture Ionna to build more than 30,000 fast DC chargers by 2030. Toyota joined the group in July. Ionna will target dense urban areas, highway corridors and “vacation routes.” The vision is a network of convenience store-style facilities offering retail, food, restrooms and covered charging.

Separately, Mercedes-Benz has also joined the retail charging business with a $1 billion commitment to build 400 EV hubs in the United States, and 2,000 around the globe. In July, the high-end German manufacturer also announced a deal with Starbucks to install fast chargers at 100 of the coffee purveyor’s stores along Interstate 5, which runs along the West Coast from Canada to Mexico. This could be just the beginning for the effort, with both companies interested in identifying “additional opportunities in key markets,” according to a news release on the agreement.

Tesla has also opened a large portion of its Supercharger network to other brands. For now, drivers of other makes will need to use an adapter to connect with this equipment. But starting with 2025 models, most manufacturers will redesign ports to accommodate Tesla charging cords directly.

Drive on up

As these expansion efforts move forward, several startups are developing wireless charging systems that use an inductive approach similar to wireless phone chargers. This concept has been around since the EV era’s early days, but it is only now moving into the market in early demonstration installations. 

There are two major use cases to look at: systems embedded in roadways so vehicles can charge as they drive, and systems incorporated into fleet lots and garages to eliminate the need for multiple charging stations and cords.

Several roadway pilots are underway. In Detroit, near where Ford is building an EV and autonomous vehicle campus, Israeli startup Electreon has installed a system to test its design’s efficiency and potential for public transit vehicles. In Florida, Norway’s ENRX will install a wireless system in a 4-mile section of a new state highway.

As of now, no passenger EVs are equipped with the receiver needed to accept a wireless charge. The automakers’ challenge is to design a device that doesn’t add significant weight (an issue with EV batteries) or create an undercarriage hazard. The Society of Automotive Engineers published technical standards for wireless charging in 2020, and several manufacturers have been developing prototypes since.

Stellantis, for example, is collaborating with the startup HEVO, Brooklyn, N.Y., on a design for Chrysler’s Pacifica minivan. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently set a new record for wireless charging speed with a Porsche Taycan, hitting power transfer levels that could add a 50% gain in battery charge in 10 minutes.

Applications in industrial settings are farther along. In late June, InductEV, King of Prussia, Pa., said it was close to a deal with the Port of Long Beach Container Terminal to install 60 charging pads for 60-yard trucks. The company has several of these systems running in Indiana, Massachusetts and Gothenburg, Sweden.

Charging ahead

Developing the public charging infrastructure we need will be a process, but it’s one that automakers, charging manufacturers and federal and state governments are all working to carry out. Progress is being made along more frequently traveled routes. For example, Shell, Flying J and Pilot have all begun installing fast chargers at their interstate rest stops. Bloomberg Green now anticipates public fast-charging sites will outnumber traditional gas stations in the United States in about eight years. North American operators are expected to spend $6.1 billion this year, twice what they spent in 2023, and that annual figure is expected to double again by 2030.

So, by the end of this decade, “plug ‘er in” could be replacing “fill ‘er up” at fueling centers throughout the nation.

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