Electric Vehicle Charge Up

The U.S. public EV charging network grew more than six-fold between 2016 and 2025, reaching nearly 196,000 ports. While California leads in total numbers and northeastern states lead in density, significant coverage gaps remain in the southern, central, and plains regions. To support a projected 33 million EVs by 2030, the U.S. may need 1 million additional public chargers, including 170,000 DC fast chargers.

• Public EV charging ports in the U.S. experienced significant growth over the last decade, increasing from approximately 30,000 in 2016 to 195,874 by January 2025.
• The distribution of chargers is geographically uneven; California has more than triple the number of chargers as New York, the second-ranked state. When accounting for state size, the highest density of chargers is found in northeastern states such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Maryland.
• Direct current (DC) fast chargers, which provide 180-240 miles of range per hour, grew from approximately 3,434 in 2016 to 49,916 by January 2025. While they enable long-distance travel, significant gaps persist, such as a 259-mile stretch along I-70 in Illinois and Ohio.
• To accommodate an estimated 33 million EVs on U.S. roads by 2030, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests the country requires approximately 1 million additional public chargers, including 170,000 DC fast chargers.
• Electric vehicles contribute to climate goals by reducing CO2 emissions by an average of 66% compared to gasoline vehicles across all U.S. states, as they require roughly half the energy of internal combustion engines.

APA

Climate Central (2025). Electric Vehicle Charge Up. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/electric-vehicle-charge-up

Chicago

Climate Central. Electric Vehicle Charge Up. 2025. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/electric-vehicle-charge-up.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Electric Vehicle Charge Up |date=23 April 2025 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/electric-vehicle-charge-up |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2025electric, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Electric Vehicle Charge Up}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/electric-vehicle-charge-up}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }