As more people switch to electric vehicles, finding available charging stations has become a common dilemma for EV owners; and despite President Joe Biden's plans to increase the number of green vehicles and chargers across America, little improvement has been seen in the country's charging infrastructure in recent years, according to industry experts.
For Tony Quiroga, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver, running comparison tests on EVs for the magazine, which requires driving them across the country or even across states in some cases, it's a "logistical nightmare."
"These comparison tests are a logistical nightmare," Quiroga told ABC News. "We plan meals around recharging the vehicles. We need to have the battery at 100% or close to it to test a vehicle's performance. We have to time everything. It requires more work."
One EV owner facing logistical challenges is YouTube personality Steve Hammes, who leased a Hyundai Kona Electric SUV for his 17-year-old daughter Maddie.
It was affordable and practical, and it allowed Maddie to put her money toward college, not gas, he said. However, Hammes faces the common problem of navigating where to charge his EV.
"We're going through the planning process," Hammes says, "of how easily Maddie can get from Albany [New York] to Gettysburg [College] and where she can charge the car. It makes me a little nervous. We want fast chargers that take 30 to 40 minutes. It would not make sense to sit at a Level 2 charger for hours. There isn't a good software tool that helps EV owners plan their trips."
The lack of charging infrastructure has been a significant obstacle for EV owners, but Biden's infrastructure law aims to tackle the issue by installing 500,000 new chargers across the U.S. and dramatically boosting EV sales by 2030. But according to some, the focus has been only about getting the stations in the ground rather than ensuring they work efficiently. According to one industry expert, there has been little improvement in the nation's charging infrastructure in the past four years and less so in terms of their ability to work.
"The incentive right now is to get stations in the ground," John Voelcker, the former editor at Green Car Reports, said. "It's not making sure they actually work."
Despite the challenges, EV owners are still devoted to their vehicles. Sharon Bragg of Clifton Park, New York, charges her Ford Mustang Mach-E GT more often in the winter months. While the Mustang is rated for 270 miles on a full charge, she said, the range drops to about 200 miles in the colder months.
Nonetheless, automakers are looking to address the issue by partnering with businesses to increase charging infrastructure. In March 2022, sandwich chain Subway announced a partnership with GenZ EV Solutions to build "Oasis Parks" at select dining locations, offering EV customers charging stations with multiple ports, picnic tables, Wi-Fi, restrooms, and playgrounds.
As EVs become more prevalent, the charging infrastructure must keep pace. But Quiroga believes an ecosystem will eventually be built around charging stations, making the charging experience more seamless. While EVs have come a long way in the past decade, there is still a lot of work to ensure EV owners can confidently plan their trips and have access to reliable charging infrastructure.
"Where we are now versus 10 years ago — it's radically different," Quiroga added. "Range has tripled, even quintupled. Look at the Lucid Air: It gets over 500 miles of range in a single charge."
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