Adoption of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Electric vehicles (EVs) have steadily been on the rise in the United States. New England cities, such as Boston and New Haven, have prioritized making them accessible.
EVs can include cars, bikes, or electric scooters, use full or partial electricity, and require a charging station as an alternative to gas. EV adoption has increased as Americans transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles. Federal funding is being used to incentivize the development of electric charging stations and provide grants for charging port installations. EVs have the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions, utility bills, and create less noise, seen as instrumental in fighting against climate change and expanding domestic manufacturing.
According to data from Pioneer’s US DataLabs website, in 2024 Massachusetts had the third most alternative fuel stations by population, with 51 stations per 100k people. Only Vermont (73 per 100k) and District of Columbia (53 per 100k) had a greater number. It is important to note that EV stations are defined as being either public or private non-residential stations that have one or more charging outlets in the data.
2024 Number of EV Charging Stations Per Population
Figure 1: Data from Pioneer’s US DataLabs illustrating the top 15 states with the highest numbers of EV charging stations per 100k people in 2024.
2024 Electric Charging Stations in New England
Figure 2: Number of total electric charging stations and per 100k populations in New England states, 2023. Data is from Pioneer’s US DataLab’s website.
The Northeast had the highest growth with 3,263 new ports being added in Q2 of 2024. In Massachusetts, the number of electric charging stations has increased from 0 charging stations in 2013 to 3,623 in 2024.
2024 Electric Charging Stations in Massachusetts
Figure 3: EV charging stations in Massachusetts by outlet in 2023. Data is from Pioneer’s US DataLab’s website.
Connecticut alone has seen a 55 percent increase in growth of electric charging stations from 2023 to 2024, furthering New England’s growth.
2024 Quarter Two EV Charging Port Growth by Region
Figure 3: Data from NREL Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Trends from the Alternative Fueling Station Locator: Second Quarter 2024
Capacity Falls Short of EV Demand
In recent years, the federal government has supported the mass adoption of EVs and charging stations through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Together these funding streams have sought to accomplish the goal of creating a national EV charging network of 500,000 EV charging ports by 2030. Massachusetts has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050, making the state a leader in promoting clean energy and climate goals. The state, at 139,736 EVs in 2024, has announced a goal of 200,000 EVs by 2025 and 900,000 by 2030, as well as 15,000 public charging stations by 2025 and 75,000 by 2030 to meet the standards of the Clean Energy and Climate Plan.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) study estimated that for every 100 EVs, the public needs 0.6 DC charging ports and 3.2 Level 2 charging ports.
Public Accessibility and Demand of EV Charging Ports in 2024 and Projection for 2030
Figure 4: Nationwide 2024 Quarter 2 Public EV charging ports and charging level compared to NREL’s study of infrastructure needs in the U.S. in 2030. Graph from NREL of the U.S. Department of Energy.
NREL’s study suggests the United States currently falls short of public demand, although quarterly growth of charging ports and EV sales have increased steadily and may yet meet the ambitious goals set by states and the federal government.
Considerations:
Former President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, providing Massachusetts with $63 million of federal funding over 5 years for the expansion of EV charging networks.
Since then, Massachusetts has accelerated adoption of EVs and made building EV infrastructure a priority for climate change mitigation. However, Massachusetts’ EV infrastructure still falls short of what is required to meet demand. The data presented in this blog give insights into the importance of Massachusetts’s programs such as Rebates for Electric Vehicles and the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation in spurring additional investments in EVs. Massachusetts’ policymakers are working to accelerate installations of EV charging stations to meet the state and federal goals. Yet, the state still has a long way to go and changes in federal policy may create additional headwinds against adoption.
Erin Moran is a Roger Perry Government Transparency Intern with the Pioneer Institute. She is a rising senior at College of the Holy Cross, majoring in Political Science.
