Charging electric vehicles is getting easier in Washington
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The number of public electric vehicle charging stations in Washington state has more than doubled in the past four years, per federal data.
Why it matters: EVs and charging have been a chicken-and-egg problem that's now getting a little easier.
- People won't buy an electric car unless they're confident they have somewhere to charge it.
- Companies won't invest in charging infrastructure without enough EV owners to plug in.
By the numbers: There are now more than 2,600 electric vehicle charging stations open to the public in Washington, offering about 7,000 charging ports, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy.
- That's up from roughly 1,100 public charging stations with about 3,500 ports in January 2021.
The big picture: Nationwide, there were fewer than 29,000 public electric vehicle charging stations four years ago, which provided about 100,000 charging ports in all.
- Now, there are more than 75,000 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.
Between the lines: Spurring a switch from gasoline-powered cars to battery-electric vehicles was a key part of former President Biden's climate agenda.
- He pushed policies — consumer EV tax credits, manufacturing incentives for carmakers and tougher tailpipe emissions laws — with the intent to make EVs account for 50% of new car sales by 2030.
Zoom in: Washington state has also encouraged EV adoption and has been working to build out its charging infrastructure, some of which will be paid for with money from the state's cap-and-trade program.
- Washington is one of several states looking to phase out sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 — although President Trump has said he may try to roll back some of those plans.
- Washington still plans to allow sales of some new plug-in hybrids and heavy-duty diesel trucks after 2035, Andrew Wineke, a spokesperson for Washington's Department of Ecology, told Axios.
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.
Taxpayer-funded chargers have been slow to open, but the snags are mostly due to state and local issues like permitting, utility upgrades and in some cases, politics.
- The federal government has already shelled out $4.5 billion to support about 25,000 chargers, but only 200 have opened so far.
- Since that money's already been allocated to the states, the rest are still expected to open in the next year or two, even if President Trump slows down Biden's EV policies.
Where it stands: As of Oct. 31, drivers in 61% of the most heavily trafficked corridors could access a charger every 50 miles, up from 38% in 2021, Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk told Axios Pro Energy Policy. (subscribe here)
Editor's note: Cox Automotive and Axios are both owned by Cox Enterprises.