Pennsylvania powers up its electric vehicle network
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Pennsylvania is moving up the EV-readiness ranks as its public charging network expands.
Why it matters: High gas prices are making electric vehicles more attractive to drivers, though they remain a small share of vehicles on state roads.
Driving the news: Pennsylvania ranks No. 18 nationally for overall EV readiness, per the 2026 HERE Technologies-SBD index, which weighs registered EVs, public charger availability and average charging power.
- That's up from No. 32 in 2025.
Zoom in: Pennsylvania has 44 public chargers per 1,000 miles of road — below the national average (60) and neighboring New Jersey (185) and New York (192). But its growing network and average charger power helped push its overall readiness well ahead of Midwestern states.
- Pennsylvania has more than 2,000 charging stations, per federal data.
Yes, but: EVs accounted for 3.65% of Pennsylvania's new vehicle registrations in the first quarter of 2026, per the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, ranking the state No. 30.
- Plus: High prices are holding back two in five potential EV buyers, per a HERE survey. Kelley Blue Book says Americans paid $56,126 for a new EV in July — $6,200 more than the average car, Axios' Jim Sergent reports.
What they're saying: "Charger accessibility is the most critical element of EV adoption," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll.
Between the lines: Pennsylvania is a national leader in building federally funded fast-charging EV stations, per PennDOT.
- The state recently opened its 50th National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) station and has awarded more than $100 million in federal funding for public chargers.
Threat level: Federal funding cuts to the Biden-era NEVI program and shifting Trump administration priorities could slow progress.
- The state has moved faster than most to deploy NEVI funding, which saw a sluggish rollout nationwide.
What's next: Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration earlier this month directed another $32 million in federal funding to expand community EV charging across eastern Pennsylvania.
- PennDOT plans to have universal charging stations at all 17 Turnpike service plazas by next year.