Americans’ path to an all-electric future has so far resembled stop-and-go traffic more than the rush to the finish line many environmentalists have called for. A record one in 12 new cars Americans bought this year has been an EV and last month, for the first time, electric vehicles crossed the price parity line to become cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts. At the same time, EV adoption has lagged the exponential growth policymakers say is needed to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the foreseeable future.
The major reason for that isn’t the cars but the chargers needed to refuel EV batteries. A still-sparse charging network has been the “weak link” in the EV revolution, Tyson Jominy, a vice president in the data and analytics division at J.D. Power, told Fortune earlier this year. EV buyers who own homes can easily install a charger and “fill up” while their car is parked, but EV proponents say the availability of so-called Level 3 charging stations—which can charge a battery in under an hour—are crucial for long-distance travel and large-scale adoption.
