Taking a Regional Approach to Electric Vehicle Readiness

The report analyzes EV infrastructure readiness around 60 US cities, finding that while some cities like San Jose exhibit high regional preparedness, significant gaps in DC fast-charger coverage persist across several states, contributing to consumer range anxiety. It emphasizes that regional collaboration between cities, utilities, and state agencies is essential for scaling infrastructure beyond urban centers to support intercity travel.

• Range anxiety and insufficient charging infrastructure are primary obstacles to EV adoption for individuals and fleets. Data indicates that regions with the highest EV uptake typically have public charging infrastructure availability two to six times higher than the national average.
• An analysis of 60 US cities—representing over 57 percent of the US population—shows that California leads in regional readiness, with San Jose scoring 45 out of 48 possible points. Other cities with above-average surrounding infrastructure include Denver, Hartford, Baltimore, Portland, and Salt Lake City.
• Significant gaps in DC fast-charger coverage exist outside of urban environments, particularly in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana, where available fast-chargers are often limited exclusively to Tesla drivers.
• Successful regional readiness is driven by collaboration across different levels of government and utility providers. Examples include San Jose's use of the state-run CALeVIP fund-matching program, Austin Energy's Texas River Cities Plug-in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, and Nashville's participation in the Drive Electric Tennessee (DET) program.

APA

RMI (2020). Taking a Regional Approach to Electric Vehicle Readiness. https://rmi.org/resources/taking-a-regional-approach-to-electric-vehicle-readiness/

Chicago

RMI. Taking a Regional Approach to Electric Vehicle Readiness. 2020. https://rmi.org/resources/taking-a-regional-approach-to-electric-vehicle-readiness/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Taking a Regional Approach to Electric Vehicle Readiness |date=16 October 2020 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/taking-a-regional-approach-to-electric-vehicle-readiness/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2020taking, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Taking a Regional Approach to Electric Vehicle Readiness}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/taking-a-regional-approach-to-electric-vehicle-readiness/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }