Known to be a poor student when it comes to EV charging stations, Uncle Sam’s country is making progress. During the second quarter of 2024, 704 public websites flourished in the United States. Total, the country now has 9,000 stations distributed roughly equally.
More and more fast charging stations in the US
If the US has long had a bad reputation when it comes to charging stations for electric cars, the situation is about to change. New stations are popping up all over the country, and electric motorists can finally go on long journeys without asking too many questions. North Dakota, Texas, Alabama and even New Mexico, regions long neglected by charging networks like Electrify America, now benefit from an increasingly extensive infrastructure.
THAT ” electric deserts » has tended to disappear in recent months. Between April and June 2024, the country saw 704 new fast charging stations appear along the roads. That represents a 9% increase in three months, according to data from the Ministry of Energy. In total, there are nearly 9,000 public fast-charging locations in the United States today. It is getting better and better, but it is still much worse than in France, where there are around 40,200 stations for 118,000 charging points.
At the current rate, fast charging sites will be ” more than gas stations within 8 years in the US » according to a study conducted by Bloomberg. A symbolic milestone to cross in a country where oil is king. According to the report’s authors, North American operators will spend $6.1 billion this year developing charging infrastructure, nearly double the investment in 2023. This annual spending is expected to double again by 2030.
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Gas station owners are converting
” The demand for fast charging is increasing “, says Sara Rafalson, CEO of EVgo, a company that operates nearly 1,000 stations in the United States. ” We continue to build bigger and bigger stations because we have to meet this demand “, she clarifies. Data shows that gas station operators “ jump on the electric wagon “. They are developing their business to respond to the transformation of the vehicle fleet.
Some large banks or stores in the country are also considering electric car charging as a means of business development. US Bank, for example, installed chargers in 39 branches in California during the second quarter of 2024. For its part, Waffle House added charging stations in the parking lots of two of its restaurants in Florida. Despite the slowdown in the market, electric sales will reach 2.5 million units in 2025, compared to 1.1 million in 2023.
In addition, the occupancy rate of terminals is still higher in the country. At the end of the first quarter, a US fast charging station was connected an average of 18% of the time, or nearly five hours a day. To be profitable, the occupancy rate must be at least 15%. EVgo says demand is being driven by people driving their electric cars longer than before and more electric owners living in apartment blocks.
The Biden administration is giving a nice boost, but…
The development of charging stations is being driven in large part by the Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. A $5 billion plan to fill in dead zones. However, Donald Trump has this initiative in his sights. In an interview given to Business Weekclaimed Trump that ” The White House spent $8 billion to open just seven charging stations “.
A false statement, but one that has the advantage of giving a clear indication of the strategy the presidential candidate could adopt if re-elected. In fact, 23 states have agreed to build 550 charging stations, according to the government. Despite this, the range of electric cars remains one of the main obstacles to the transition to electricity. Most drivers no idea how many terminals surround them » according to Sam Houston, analyst at Association of Concerned Scientists.
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