As More Public Charging Stations Open, Support for Electric Vehicles Grows - Horowitz

As More Public Charging Stations Open, Support for Electric Vehicles Grows - Horowitz

Fueled in large measure by the incentives and funding contained in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the number of public charging stations in the United States has more than doubled over the past four years.  There are now 61,000 public charging stations for charging electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States. Nearly 2-out-of-3 Americans live within 2 miles of one of these stations and more than 9-in-10 Americans live in a county with at least one charging station, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of US Department of Energy data.

This rapid ramping up in the number of charging stations throughout the nation is contributing to growing support for EVs.  “Americans who live close to public chargers view EVs more positively than those who are farther away,” finds a Pew national survey. This remains the case even after factoring in partisan identification, community type and other variables, and despite the fact “most EV charging occurs at home.”

 

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More specifically, nearly half (47%) of those who live within a mile of a public charger say “they are very or somewhat likely to consider purchasing an EV as their next vehicle.” This compares with only about 1-in-4(27%) of those “for whom the nearest charger is more than 2 miles away.”

 

Similarly, when it comes to opinions on phasing out production of new gasoline cars and trucks by 2035, the closer one lives to a public charging station, the more one is likely to support it. Nearly half (49%) of those who live within a mile of a charging station back the phase-out, as opposed to 30% of those who live more than 2 miles away.

 

Along the same lines, nearly twice as many (20%) American adults within a mile of a public charger “say they are extremely or very confident that the U.S. will build the charging stations and infrastructure needed to support large numbers of electric vehicles on the roads” than those who live more than 2 miles away (11%).   There remains a high level of uncertainty across the board about whether we can provide what is required to support this consequential transition.  More than half (53%) of all Americans do not express confidence that we can do so.

 

As the increase in public charging stations continues apace, however, and more Americans have one nearby, confidence in our ability to meet this challenge will increase. It is a challenge that is imperative to meet--and to do so expeditiously. The widespread use of EVs undergirds the transition away from fossil fuels, which is essential to avoiding the worst consequences of climate change.

 

The importance of accelerating this transition is highlighted by the fact that we appear to be headed for another record-setting year of global temperatures.  In fact, for significant periods of time this year, global temperatures have hovered dangerously close to the levels scientists say we cannot move much beyond without risking truly disastrous impacts.

 

This Pew report shows we are headed in the right direction: namely, that there is a virtuous circle created by the positive impact of building more public charging stations on support for electric cars and openness to buying one. This will likely create more overall support for accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.
This is the transition required to ensure we leave a habitable planet for our children.