Taking a Regional Approach to Electric Vehicle Readiness

This report by RMI analyzes the regional readiness of 60 prominent US cities for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, focusing on infrastructure beyond city centers to address 'range anxiety'. The analysis evaluates metropolitan area readiness, day-trip destination readiness, and airport readiness, highlighting that while some cities and regions (particularly in California) are well-prepared, significant gaps in DC fast-charger coverage persist along major highways in several states.

• Range anxiety and a lack of charging infrastructure are primary barriers to EV adoption for individuals and fleets. Data indicates that areas with the highest EV uptake typically have public charging infrastructure availability two to six times higher than the national average.
• RMI evaluated 60 US cities—representing over 57 percent of the US population—using three metrics: charging stations within 20 miles of the city center, stations within 5 miles of the top five day-trip destinations, and stations at airport facilities. San Jose, California, was among the highest scoring, receiving 45 out of 48 possible points.
• Regional readiness varies by census division, with the Pacific division performing strongly. The New England division showed high per capita charger counts and day-trip destination availability, while the South Atlantic division was bolstered by strong airport and day-trip readiness in cities like Atlanta, Tampa, and Baltimore.
• Significant gaps in DC fast-charger coverage exist outside urban environments, particularly along major corridors in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana, where infrastructure is often limited to Tesla drivers, complicating regional travel for other EV brands.
• Successful regional EV strategies involve multi-stakeholder collaboration. Examples include San Jose's use of the state-run CALeVIP fund for Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, Austin Energy's Texas River Cities Plug-in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan involving 10 counties, 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} }