Amid federal clean energy policies, automakers’ pledges to transition to zero-emission vehicles and rising consumer demand for electric vehicles, EVs could account for 30 million to 42 million light-duty vehicles on the road by 2030, according to analysts from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
NREL’s 2030 National Charging Network report, which sets a framework for EV adoption based on low-, medium- and high-adoption scenarios, estimates that the U.S. would need about 1.2 million publicly accessible charging units by 2030. To support a mid-adoption scenario of 33 million EVs on the road by that time, it would need 28 million charging ports, the study said. NREL researchers forecast that the country will require 1 million Level 2 charging ports in publicly accessible locations, including high-density neighborhoods, office buildings and retail outlets, to meet that need.
