Electric car charging stations fall behind growing demand

The rapid increase in electric vehicle sales in the U.S. is far outpacing the growth of public charging infrastructure, posing a challenge to widespread EV adoption.

Shannon Osaka reports for The Washington Post.

In short:

The U.S. now has over 20 electric cars for every public charger, up from 7 per charger in 2016.
Tesla's Supercharger network, a key part of the EV infrastructure, recently faced a setback with the firing of its entire team.
Despite most EV owners charging at home, public chargers are crucial for long trips and for those without home charging options.

Key quote:

"You often hear about the chicken and the egg question between chargers and electric vehicles. But overall the U.S. needs more public charging."

— Corey Cantor, senior associate for electric vehicles, BloombergNEF

Why this matters:

For those committed to reducing their carbon footprint, this issue creates a frustrating paradox: they want to support sustainable technology, but logistical hurdles make it difficult. The current infrastructure development is simply not fast enough to meet the burgeoning demand.

www.washingtonpost.com

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