The best (and worst) US states for EV charging
The best states for charging points per 1,000 EVs
While our last ratio was based more on the theoretical, we applied the same methodology to each state’s current EV status to determine which has the most charging points available. We accomplished this by comparing the number of charging outlets available for every 1,000 EVs in a state. If a state had less than 1,000 EVs (sadly, too many do), our equation helps us determine how many would be present for each 1,000. If you’ve already crowned California the champ, you’re… way off?
West Virginia
That’s not a typo. West Virginia currently has the highest number of charging outlets for every 1,000 EVs within its state lines. However, before we go raising The Mountain State up on our shoulders, let’s take a deeper look at the data and see how we got here. As you can see above, this ratio is somewhat misleading because West Virginia only has 230 registered EVs and 244 charging outlets.
To boost that number up to over 1,000 EVs, the ratio will keep the number of outlets above the number of EVs, thus giving this state the top spot. However, it’s the second-lowest state in total registered EVs, a title not really worth celebrating. That being said, it is the only state with more charging outlets and electric vehicles, so that’s something!
Wyoming
Remember how West Virginia had the second-least amount of registered EVs? Well, Wyoming is number one with 170 total in the state. With 168 charging outlets for those EVs, nearly every driver can have their own. As a result, Wyoming sits in second place with an estimated 988 charging outlets for every 1,000 EVs. It’s important to note that Wyoming has the smallest population in the US at about 579,000 people.
Rhode Island
Third place is the smallest state in the country, Rhode Island. At 790 charging outlets per 1,000 EVs, Rhode Island smoked larger states like New York and Florida. In reality, Rhode Island has 600 EVs and 474 chargers. Not bad for an entire state that’s only about twice the size of Los Angeles.
States with the least charging points per 1,000 EVs
While the states listed above may still have some work to do for future charging infrastructure, their current ratio has them on the right path to support more electric vehicle transitions. The following states are not so well equipped.
That begins with Hawaii, which currently only offers 112 charging stations for every 1,000 EVs. Given that the state has over 6,500 EVs already, that sort of charging network is not sustainable long-term.
Next is New Jersey with 1,446 charger outlets for 12,100 EVs. An impressive number of vehicles for a smaller state, but a ratio of 120 chargers per 1,000 EVs is nothing to write home about. Drivers can take the Holland Tunnel to New York and use one of its 5,800 chargers.
Last and third from least is Arizona that currently offers less than 2,000 chargers for over 15,000 EVs. That’s a ratio of 122 to every 1,000 EVs. With companies like Lucid Motors and ElectraMeccanica building EVs in the state, Arizona better implement some more chargers quickly.
So what are the best states to charge your EV?
If you take all the ratios out of the equation, the best place to currently charge your electric vehicle is California by a long shot. That’s based on the mere fact that the state is currently home to 32,000 chargers and growing. That being said, it also has the highest number of EVs in the country, so there will be more people looking to charge up, too. Thanks to idle fees and DC supercharging, your chances of finding an open charger nearby are still pretty good.
Looking ahead, Vermont is best equipped to handle EV charging if all of its vehicles were to go electric overnight. With that said, the state has less registered vehicles than Alaska and Rhode Island, so it doesn’t have as many vehicles to worry about. Should they all become EVs however, Vermont has a great start on getting them all charged.
In terms of ratio of chargers to EVs, West Virginia takes the crown, although it almost doesn’t seem fair because of the minuscule number of EVs in the state. Ratios don’t lie, though. If West Virginia were to keep the same pace of charging infrastructure as its EV number grows, every driver would have their own charger and then some. If all its current vehicles were to suddenly go electric, however, this state would be in big trouble.
Charging infrastructure in the US looking forward
President Joe Biden has been busy during his short tenure. First he vowed to make the nation’s entire federal fleet all electric. That hasn’t quite gone to plan yet. However, the White House has already introduced two bills to reform the federal tax credit for EVs.
This will expand thresholds on the number of EVs manufacturers like Tesla and GM have surpassed to once again qualify for federal tax credits. This also includes plans to heavily expand EV charging infrastructure.
As the number of electric vehicles undoubtedly grows in each state, some will be better prepared than others. States like California and Florida, for example, are implementing charging outlets step for step with the growing number of EV sales.
Other states like Vermont and Massachusetts may not have the largest number of EVs within their state lines, but if they were to continue installing chargers at the same pace, they would easily stay ahead of the game on infrastructure.
Other states like the Dakotas are not so well prepared. Sure, they don’t have as many EVs to worry about charging just yet, but the next decade will transform our vehicle landscape, and there will need to be resources in place to keep these vessels charged.
If you include Washington, DC, the US alone has over 543,000 electric vehicles registered and over 100,000 public chargers. Not bad, but there’s always room for growth. Let’s see how the ratios stack up in 2030. Until then, we will update this chart with new US data as it goes public.
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