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Publicly available electric vehicle charging is not progressing fast enough to meet demand.
That’s according to a recent white paper published by the World Economic Forum, an organization that seeks to engage leaders from business, politics, academia, and civil society to address global issues.
“Scaling Investment in EV Charging Infrastructure: A Policy Roadmap for Cities” was published in September 2024 and lays out strategies and actions that municipalities can take to address their EV charging needs. The report states that while sales of EVs are surging, innovation is needed for these vehicles to reach parity with, let alone surpass, gas-powered vehicles.
“To support the global commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, transitioning to emissions-free transportation is crucial,” Vivian Brady-Phillips, Head of Strategic Initiatives for the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation, wrote in the white paper. “…Electric vehicles (EVs) are crucial to the long-term transition roadmap. While many cities have made significant progress in developing comprehensive charging networks for EVs, others still face challenges providing accessible and affordable infrastructure…”
While they used to live in a niche corner of the automotive industry, EVs have exploded in popularity in recent years thanks to factors including greater range (the distance an EV can travel on one battery charge), financial incentives for those who purchase EVs, and – perhaps most importantly – a commitment to building out EV charging infrastructure in countries across the world.
There were roughly 3.3 million EVs roaming America’s highways by the end of 2023, according to an Experian Automotive Market Trends report. This is up from 2 million in 2022 and 1.3 million in 2021.
According to the Argonne National Laboratory, U.S. consumers purchased more than 1.4 million electric vehicles in 2023 – a 50% increase from 2022.
In a statement celebrating this milestone in EV sales, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm pointed to the increasing availability of public EV charging infrastructure across the country. As of January 2024, there were 170,000 public EV chargers in the U.S., with 900 new chargers coming online every week.
"These developments are part of an inevitable shift toward a thriving electric transportation sector – a shift that American automakers and battery manufacturers are already carrying forward,” Granholm said. “...I look forward to lasting progress in 2024.”
your EV’s battery will run out before you reach the next charging station – will be one of the
biggest roadblocks to widespread EV adoption.
Roadblocks
Four months after Granholm’s statement, EV manufacturer Tesla sent shockwaves through its own industry when it announced that it was laying off its 500-person team responsible for installing charging stations. The company also said it would be slowing investment in new stations.
Tesla quickly reversed course and re-hired some of the dismissed members of the team, with CEO Elon Musk, writing on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that his company will still spend “well over $500M expanding our Supercharger network to create thousands of NEW chargers this year.”
Nevertheless, the news was unsettling for the entire EV industry. Tesla has been a leader in developing a fast-charging network across the U.S., bolstered by significant financial backing from the federal government.
In October 2023, EV Magazine ranked Tesla as the largest electric charger company in the world. The automaker manages the largest network of fast chargers – also known as Superchargers – in the country, and has secured the most funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
Tesla’s actions were effectively a catalyst for diversity in what was already a Wild West-like EV charging infrastructure space. Everyone from car brands to grocery store chains have made announcements regarding their intentions to build out their own fast-charging networks across the U.S..
Regardless of who builds them, the reality is that until EV chargers are as commonplace as gas stations, range anxiety – the fear your EV’s battery will run out before you reach the next charging station – will be one of the biggest roadblocks to widespread EV adoption.
Another problem is the strain that EV chargers put on the power grid. Fully charging an EV battery requires the same amount of electricity needed to power a home during peak energy use times. And because EV charging is a concentrated pull of energy over an extended period, it can add stress to the local power grid by increasing the amount of electricity a utility has to provide.
Areas of Innovation
In an article published to their website in October, the World Economic Forum pointed to improved battery technology, battery swapping, and electrified roads as avenues for increasing public acceptance of EVs. Other innovations, such as solar-powered EV stations, offer a way to improve a country’s EV charging infrastructure without taxing its cities’ already-strained power grids.
Battery Swapping
Battery swapping is true to its name.
A driver purchases their vehicle body and leases a battery pack. Rather than having to stop and charge that pack when it’s depleted, they instead stop at a station to swap that pack out with a fully charged one. Station personnel then charge the depleted battery, so that it’s ready to be swapped in for a future customer’s depleted pack.
“First, there is convenience, with companies in the space claiming swaps that take as little as five minutes could rival the time it takes to stop and fill a car with petrol,” writes Senior Writer David Elliott of the World Economic Forum’s Forum Agenda. “Alongside, customers could buy just the vehicle body and lease a battery pack, reducing the upfront cost of buying an EV. Battery swapping also allows batteries to be charged more slowly, which could extend their lifespan. And there are potential benefits to the grid, too – as battery swapping stations can reduce energy demand by charging during off-peak times.”
The concept of battery swapping is nearly as old as the idea of electric cars, and the companies currently attempting to make the idea stick are hoping to have learned the lessons needed to become a viable option for EV users.
Chinese EV company Nio has been experimenting and expanding its battery-swapping approach across China and Europe since its founding in 2014. The company has installed and operates more than 2,300 battery swap stations worldwide, though it says less than a fifth of these stations are currently breaking even.
their own “microgrids,” supporting EVs without taxing local power grids.
Electrified Roads
In November 2023, the City of Detroit, Michigan, became home to America’s first wireless-charging public roadway.
The one-mile stretch of 14th Street between Marantette and Dalzelle streets is equipped with inductive-charging coils which can charge EVs equipped with receivers from wireless charging solutions company, Electreon, as the vehicles drive down the road.
This innovation is the result of a collaboration between the State of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the City of Detroit, and multiple private interests such as Electreon and Ford Motor Company. According to a press release issued at the time of the road’s completion, the road is being used to “test and perfect this wireless-charging technology in a real-world environment” before it’s made public.
“Michigan has always been at the forefront of innovation in mobility, and that forward-thinking is on display with the latest advances in inductive charging from Electreon, the first deployment of this electric vehicle charging technology in the United States,” said Chief Mobility Officer Justine Johnson of the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. “This latest milestone supports the goals of the MI Future Mobility Plan to grow Michigan’s mobility leadership, and proves that companies like Electreon can test and deploy the newest innovations right here in Michigan.”
Electreon has experience in creating electrified roads. The Swedish Transport Administration commissioned the company, along with several other firms, to create the Smartroad Gotland (SRG) project, the world’s first public wireless inductive Electric Road for heavy-duty vehicles located on the island of Gotland, south of Stockholm in Sweden’s Baltic Sea.
“The technology underwent rigorous testing over four years (2019-2023),” reads a white paper Electreon published on the SRG project. “Independent third parties found that the technology does not impact the roadway structure, quality, or lifespan; and can withstand temperatures of -23°C, without impacting charging, proving the technology’s suitability for harsh winter and arctic climates.”
In June 2021, Electreon became the first company globally to charge two commercial vehicles simultaneously from the same public road; showcasing the technology’s shared charging platform functionality. The vehicles, a 40-ton electric truck and a 12.5-meter electric bus, had differing battery systems and power requirements. One year later, the electric bus began operating commercially on the Flygbussarna’s regular route while charging wirelessly from the road and at the stationary charging station. And in September 2023, the electric truck received a 100 kW charge from the road while driving at speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph), the maximum permitted speed for trucks with trailers on the road.
“Sweden understood that plug-in charging infrastructure alone may not be enough to facilitate the transition to sustainable zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and began investigating alternative solutions to achieve its 2030 net-zero goals a decade ago,” Electreon wrote in its white paper. “The Swedish government has played a pioneering role in enabling innovative charging technology research, feasibility studies, and demonstrations including Electric Road System (ERS) projects. This project was designed to investigate all technical, logistical and economic aspects regarding the implementation of a wireless Electric Road System.”
Solar-Powered EV Charging
Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, California, will soon be home to the Golden State’s largest single-site commercial carport renewable energy project.
The 12.37 MW solar carport system will cover nearly 637,000 square feet and is being built over the main guest and employee parking lots. When complete, the system will produce enough power to offset 100% of the park’s energy usage, making the park entirely powered by clean energy.
The carport system will also feature approximately 30 EV charging spaces in the guest parking lot.
Solar EV chargers create their own microgrids, supporting EVs without taxing local power grids. The technology can even be designed in such a way so that the charger and its solar panel can easily be moved around, allowing a municipality to experiment to find the most effective placement for the system. This is the case in Raleigh, North Carolina, where in May 2014 the city placed solar EV chargers at Anderson Point Park and Brier Creek Park.
“The solar powered EV chargers can be placed in areas of the city that currently do not have EV charging infrastructure,” the city wrote in a press release. “This reduces the need for expensive electrical site work and helps the City better understand where to prioritize installing permanent future EV charging…”
Down (or Up) the Road
The Pew Research Center recently surveyed Americans about EV charging infrastructure and analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Energy.
They found that:
- 64% of Americans lived within two miles of a public charging station as of May 2024
- Americans who live close to public chargers view EVs more positively than those who are farther away
- EV charging stations are most accessible to residents of urban areas, with 60% of urban residents living less than a mile from the nearest public EV charger, compared with 41% of those in the suburbs and just 17% of rural Americans
Despite the increasing availability of public EV chargers, and the other innovations that seem to indicate a bright future for these vehicles, just 17% of U.S. adults say they are extremely or very confident in the country’s ability to build the infrastructure necessary to support large numbers of EVs on the road.
The amount of investment already made into EV infrastructure means that these vehicles aren’t likely to disappear tomorrow. But getting most Americans to forgo combustion engines for EVs will likely take more time, and more innovation.
“...I get it – nobody is gonna force anybody to make these decisions,” Sec. Granholm told ABC News in an interview in January. “I honestly think… as the price of the electric vehicle comes down, and it has dropped 23% year-over-year, and the price of operating the car and not having to go to the gas station and being able to ‘fill it up’ for much less and more conveniently, honestly, I think it’s going to sell itself.
“People love their cars. And I think they’ll love their EVs, too.”
