To the Editor:

 Pulling into a gas station is an American tradition. It’s something we do almost without thought and provides a level of convenience we have come to expect. The American landscape is dotted with 150,000 gas stations and 1.8 million gas pumps, all to serve 280 million cars.  

How might electric cars fit into all this? EVs will only be ubiquitous when drivers have a similar level of confidence in a charging infrastructure that provides a level of convenience equal to that of fueling gasoline cars.

 Charging an electric car is a bit different from gassing up. Unlike gas cars, most of the time, one does not need to travel anywhere. According to the Dept of Energy about 80% of EV charging happens at home. With the 3.5 million EVs registered in the US at minimum 2.8 million private charging locations already exist. That’s about 1.5 times the number of gas pumps. And we’re just getting started. Converting 50% of the cars in the US to electric will lead to at least 112 million charging points. 62 times the number of gas pumps.

Private chargers will continue to be the first choice to charge but when on a trip one is likely to use a public charger. These come in both fast (Level 3 - DC) and slower (Level 2 – AC) varieties. Public Level 2s are now common with over 160,000 nationwide and can be found most anywhere. Level 3 - DC fast chargers are less common with 8,200 now online throughout the US. Towns with no charging locations are now difficult to find.

Interacting with public chargers does come with a learning curve. Quirks in infrastructure are not uncommon and can cause frustration. Giving yourself an extra few minutes to operate an unfamiliar charger can alleviate stress. Several apps exist to help locate chargers. Plug Share is a particularly good one. Users will often leave comments on the app rating the quality of a charging location providing insight for the next user.  

As the transition to EVs continues, charging locations will quickly far outnumber gas stations. Evs can be charged anywhere electricity is available – homes, hotels, businesses, campgrounds, etc. Charging an EV is quickly becoming far more convenient, and cheaper, than fueling a gas vehicle could ever be.  

Scott Shipley

Northern Lights Energy

Hermon