EV charging is so bleak in US that 46% consider going back to gas-powered cars
Issues with charging infrastructure are causing 46% of US EV owners to consider reverting to gas cars. Reasons include limited charging options and long-distance travel challenges. The EV industry faces setbacks despite efforts to improve infrastructure.
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Issues with charging infrastructure are leading 46% of electric vehicle (EV) owners in the US to consider switching back to gas-powered cars, according to a McKinsey study. The main reasons cited for this potential shift include a lack of charging infrastructure, limited home charging options, and challenges related to long-distance travel. This trend poses a significant setback for the EV industry, which has been striving to overcome barriers like range anxiety and charging accessibility. Despite advancements in EV technology, the inadequate charging infrastructure in the US remains a major hurdle. While efforts are being made to expand charging networks, such as the Biden administration's plan to add 500,000 EV charging stations by 2030, progress has been slow. The potential exodus of current EV owners underscores the urgent need to address charging infrastructure challenges to ensure the continued growth and adoption of electric vehicles.
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12 commentsNow that North America has standardized on CCS with the J3400 plug there will be more incentive to build infrastructure and deploy better chargers (like Alpitronic and Kempower models):
I'm surprised to see this and wonder how much of it is due to non-Tesla cars not yet having easy access to Superchargers. My wife and I have a Model Y and charging hasn't been an issue. New Superchargers open all the time.
All or almost all carmakers are switching to the NACS port/charging standard (the Tesla one, basically), and that should simplify matters substantially.
I'm also saving enough money on fuel every month that if I was going to take a long trip where charging infrastructure was not as reliable/prevalent, then I could probably rent an ICE vehicle for a week long trip once a year and still come out ahead.
It would not surprise me to find out that charging infrastructure along my usual trips (the I-5 corridor) is unusually good, but I just wouldn't have guessed that such a large number of people would be taking so many long trips in areas with poor charging infrastructure that it would outweigh the other advantages.
As of a month ago, I’m back in an EV (and love it), but it feels to me like the public charging situation is worse than it was five years ago. Several of the L2 destination chargers I used to use while shopping are gone, and the DC fast charging map covering the most probable destinations in a few hundred mile radius still has some weird gaps that the market hasn’t filled.
Range has gotten good enough that these shortcomings should be manageable, but if I didn’t live in a single family home with access to a 70A circuit for charging, it’d be way more of a headache. I wonder both how the non-Tesla fast charging infrastructure has remained so bad for so long, and how Tesla was able to afford building such a robust one (plus giving away quite a bit of free charging, up until not so many years back, no?).
[1] https://executivedigest.sapo.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/M...
Nowadays we can do sodium ion or lfp versions. It's likely the Midwest/ everything but the coasts in the USA is simply going to phevs for the next 10-15 years, the US is simple too incompetent as an infrastructure planner and developer.
I find myself limping the suburban along (GM product are cheap to keep running) even though it’s over 20 years old. My neighbors probably don’t appreciate a beater with faded paint in the front year, but I care less each year.
I’d originally bought the suburban for the nanny to drive my kids, as it’s an urban tank, but have found that more and more often I’m taking it on my long trips to national parks.
North rim of the Grand Canyon. Good luck with a tesla. Yellowstone. Again. Good luck. Yosemite - there’s no supercharger in the valley. Kings canyon and sequoia - not both in the same day.
Even driving from AZ to LA, the electric cars require multiple - 2-3 stops. The suburban can make it nonstop.
Phoenix to Las Vegas - also 2 stops.
Electric cars need about 50% more range (85mph range of 300 miles 80%-20%) before I’d call them a full replacement.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
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