The United States is short millions of charging stations for electric vehicles, according to a new analysis, a threat to the EV goals set by the Biden administration, which has seen a sluggish rollout of chargers despite spending billions.
This month, the Edison Electric Institute estimated the U.S. will see nearly 80 million EVs on the roads by 2035 — a drastic increase from the more than 3 million currently on the roads. While the administration has enacted billions of dollars of spending on charging infrastructure, the White House’s goals are dramatically lower than what research suggests will actually be necessary.
To support EV growth, EEI said the country will need more than 42.2 million charge ports installed across the country at homes, workplaces, and in public areas. This includes around 325,000 DC ultra-fast charging stations.
The Biden administration, which is seeking to see 50% of all vehicle sales made up of EVs by 2030, earmarked around $7.5 billion via the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help build out the infrastructure and install charging stations nationwide.
The White House has said it aims to have 500,000 charging stations nationwide by 2030 but has seen slow progress since early 2023.
Around $5 billion of the infrastructure law funding was expected to build ultra-fast charging ports along major highways through a program called National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure. As of March, only seven charging stations had been built through the NEVI program, offering 38 spots, according to the Washington Post.
By August, the Department of Transportation estimated that there were only approximately 192,000 charging stations publicly available for drivers.
The White House’s goal for charging stations is dramatically lower than what EEI says will be necessary. The Energy Association estimates that in 2030, the country will need around a million public charging ports and a million workplace and multifamily ports, as well as 182,000 DC stations.
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In the study, EEI also estimated that by 2030, EVs make up approximately 46% of all light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S. — a categorization most passenger vehicles fall under. The association did not include medium and heavy-duty vehicles in its analysis.
The White House did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.