EV chargers are growing nationwide. What it means for drivers
As consumers reconsider electric vehicles with gas prices topping $4 per gallon in most of the country due to the ongoing war in Iran, the number of public chargers in various states has increased coming into 2026,…
As consumers reconsider electric vehicles with gas prices topping $4 per gallon in most of the country due to the ongoing war in Iran, the number of public chargers in various states has increased coming into 2026, according to new data released by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
The Alliance, which lobbies in Washington, DC for nearly all major carmakers including General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen, said in its quarterly Get Connected report that the number of public Level 2 chargers, which are more powerful than most home chargers, increased by 17% over 2024. The report said the number of DC Fast chargers, which are the most powerful chargers, increased by 35%. Total charging ports increased 22% by the end of 2025 from the end of 2024, according to the group.
The findings come as EVs represented 9.6% of U.S. auto sales in 2025, which was a 0.6% decrease from 2024 levels, according to the Alliance. But some drivers are giving EVs a second look now that the average price of gas has reached $4.02 per gallon on March 31, which was up from an average of $2.98 one month ago on Feb. 28.
According to the Auto Alliance, the following states have the highest number of unique public EV charging locations:
California: 10,128New York: 3,792 Florida: 3,182Texas: 2,939Massachusetts: 2,279Colorado: 1,782Washington: 1,780Georgia: 1,626North Carolina: 1,518Pennsylvania: 1,510Michigan: 1,479Ohio: 1,471Maryland: 1,427Illinois: 1,358New Jersey: 1,275Virginia: 1,262Oregon: 1,211Connecticut: 1,195Arizona: 1,034Minnesota: 857Missouri: 782Tennessee: 777Wisconsin: 669Utah: 640Indiana: 564South Carolina: 562Maine: 475Nevada: 445Vermont: 409Alabama: 405Iowa: 396Kansas: 345Oklahoma: 335Kentucky: 331New Mexico: 329Arkansas: 317Hawaii: 293Nebraska: 258Washington, DC: 254Louisiana: 251New Hampshire: 228Rhode Island: 220Idaho: 200Mississippi: 192Delaware: 183West Virginia: 167Montana: 134Wyoming: 110South Dakota: 108North Dakota 90Alaska: 68
What does the increase in the number of chargers mean for EV drivers?
Car buyers have been telling pollsters for years that they have major concerns about the battery range of electric cars. The concern has bubbled up so often that it has been dubbed "range anxiety."
According to a poll released on Jan. 12 by the EVs for All America group, an advocacy group that works with car manufacturers to push U.S. and state lawmakers to adopt EV-friendly policies, 20% of 600 respondents to a poll intended to survey potential EV buyers in 2025 said their top concern about plug-in models is the charger networks being unreliable.
The same poll showed 65% of respondents said they would rather charge their batteries at home for a 7- to 8-hour period to achieve a full charge, while only 29% said they would rather opt for a 30-minute charge at a public facility that would achieve 80% battery life.
