Fuels Institute Finds EV Adoption Varies By State

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Adoption of electric vehicles (EV) varies widely by state, according to the latest report from the Fuels Institute's Electric Vehicle Council, with 82 percent of all EVs in 2021 registered in just 15 states.

This concentration is expected to remain high through 2030, with the top 15 states forecast to host 76 percent of all EVs in the country, according to the "EV Charger Deployment Optimization: An Analysis of U.S. State-level Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Demand Forecast and Supporting Infrastructure Considerations." 

"The market for electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow at an accelerating pace, yet there remains great uncertainty regarding how fast these vehicles will gain significant market share, how many chargers we will need, when and where we will need them and what kind of chargers will be required in different locations," said John Eichberger, executive director of Fuels Institute.

The report, written by S&P Global Mobility, was designed to help the government and market determine how to best support the expansion of the EV market with the strategic installation of charging stations, according to the Fuels Institute.

"Recognizing that billions of dollars would be invested in building out EV charging infrastructure, we commissioned S&P Global Mobility to model what the demand for EV chargers might look like over the next 10 years throughout the United States," Eichberger said. "This report helps prioritize where those funds should be deployed to most effectively leverage business and taxpayer dollars, as well as to deliver the greatest value to drivers."

Other key findings in the report include:

• National EV adoption is forecast to reach almost 6 percent of vehicles in operation by 2030. If these figures prove accurate, the U.S. will need as many as 1.7 million charging stations to satisfy an optimal vehicle-to-charger ratio of approximately 10:1. More than 90 percent of them could be strategically deployed Level 2 chargers.
• The diversity of population, market conditions and travel patterns means there is no one-size-fits-all solutions across the country. The report leverages a census track market analysis to prioritize EV charger deployment by state.
• To assist with strategic planning and analysis, three case studies detail the benefits of market-specific insights when considering EV deployment plans. The profiled cities are Detroit, Dallas and Portland, Ore.

Founded by NACS in 2013 as a nonprofit social welfare organization, the Fuels Institute publishes fact-based research projects designed to answer relevant market questions, not advocate for any specific outcome. Its reports are geared toward all industry stakeholders.