Texas builds out charging stations as Trump checks in
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The number of public electric vehicle charging stations in Texas has more than doubled in the past four years, per federal data.
Why it matters: Many of those charging stations are paid for with federal funds approved during the Obama or Biden era, and the new administration is slamming the brakes on the disbursements.
By the numbers: There are now about 4,000 electric vehicle charging stations offering more than 11,000 charging ports in Texas, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy.
- That's up from roughly 1,470 public charging stations with about 4,500 ports in January 2021.
The big picture: Nationwide, there are more than 75,000 public electric vehicle charging stations, offering more than 200,000 hookups, per the federal data.
Yes, but: Charging might be getting easier — but the U.S. is still far short of the estimated 1.2 million public chargers that a National Renewable Energy Laboratory report says will be needed by 2030 to support expected EV sales.
The big picture: People won't buy an electric car unless they're confident they have somewhere to charge it.
- And companies won't invest in charging infrastructure without enough EV owners to plug in.
Between the lines: Spurring a switch from gasoline-powered to battery-electric vehicles was a key part of former President Biden's climate agenda.
- But President Trump last week ordered federal agencies to immediately halt disbursements related to that switch.
Zoom in: Austin wants to install 37,000 charging stations over the next 15 years to meet its climate goals.
- Austin Energy currently operates about 1,500 Level 2 charging ports and 30 DC fast chargers in the Austin area. The fast chargers charge ten times as quickly.
Reality check: Electric vehicle sales are growing, but far off the expected pace.
- Only 8.1% of new car sales in 2024 were EVs, according to Cox Automotive. Still, that's a record 1.3 million EVs sold.
- Electric vehicles made up 9.6% of new registrations in Austin — and 5.8% of new registrations in Texas — between January and November of last year, per data made available to Axios from automotive intelligence firm S&P Global Mobility.