The United States Needs More Fast Chargers: China Can Show How

The United States faces a deficit in public direct current fast-charging (DCFC) infrastructure, with only 17,000 plugs currently installed. The report highlights that current economics limit growth to a few high-traffic locations, potentially creating an inequitable system where lower-income drivers without home charging pay a significant price premium. In contrast, China has scaled its network to over 309,000 public fast-charging plugs by treating charging as a national priority since 2014. China's strategy included stimulating demand through the electrification of taxis and fleets, reforming utility tariffs to allow industrial rates, capping service fees, and providing installation subsidies. These efforts led to significant economies of scale, reducing the cost of a 50 kW DCFC unit to approximately $3,000, compared to $20,000–$35,000 in the United States. The author suggests the U.S. needs national and local goals, redesigned utility rates, and a focus on equitable access to achieve a similar transition.

• The United States currently has 17,000 fast-charging plugs, but requires significantly more to meet climate goals; for example, California alone is projected to need 25,000 public fast-chargers by 2025 to support 5 million EVs by 2030.
• Current U.S. fast-charging economics are restrictive because most stations lose money, leading to incremental rather than exponential growth and a price premium for public charging that is typically 23 times higher than home charging.
• China achieved a network of over 309,000 public fast-charging plugs through a seven-part national strategy including national priority setting, demand stimulation via fleet electrification, industrial electricity rates for stations, service fee caps, installation subsidies, utility cost-sharing, and the development of concentrated charging stations.
• China's scale has dramatically reduced equipment costs; between 2016 and 2019, the cost of a 50 kW DCFC unit dropped 67 percent to about $3,000, whereas a comparable unit in the United States costs between $20,000 and $35,000.

APA

RMI (2021). The United States Needs More Fast Chargers: China Can Show How. https://rmi.org/resources/the-united-states-needs-more-fast-chargers-china-can-show-how/

Chicago

RMI. The United States Needs More Fast Chargers: China Can Show How. 2021. https://rmi.org/resources/the-united-states-needs-more-fast-chargers-china-can-show-how/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=The United States Needs More Fast Chargers: China Can Show How |date=29 January 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/the-united-states-needs-more-fast-chargers-china-can-show-how/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2021united, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{The United States Needs More Fast Chargers: China Can Show How}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/the-united-states-needs-more-fast-chargers-china-can-show-how/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }