Austin, TX – The Electric Vehicles Vision Group (evVG) has released its latest Vision Report, “Charging Ahead: Building Out the EV Charging Network” which comprehensively examines the critical challenges and opportunities in developing America’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The report delves into various aspects, including infrastructure development, consumer behavior, technological innovations, and regulatory frameworks, all of which are shaping the future of U.S. EV charging.
The insights within the report stem from evVG’s recent virtual quarterly meeting on April 30, 2025. This meeting was facilitated by Mike Austin, executive editor of Road and Track Magazine, and Nathan Niese, managing director & partner at Boston Consulting Group, and featured a presentation by evVG Member Garrett Fitzgerald, senior director of transportation electrification at SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance).
Key Insights on EV Charging Infrastructure
The report highlights a significant paradigm shift in EV charging compared to traditional fueling, noting that most charging now occurs at private locations rather than public stations. Fitzgerald emphasized this shift, stating: “charging integrates into your life rather than the other way around. You have to integrate into where the fueling infrastructure is.” This shift presents unprecedented challenges for utilities, which face rapidly growing EV loads demanding substantial infrastructure planning and investment. Fitzgerald explained this by observing: “We’re really dealing with a mismatch in the planning and building cycle of what loads used to look like and what loads are looking like now.“
While DC fast charging deployment is progressing, the report stresses that reliability remains a crucial concern, with some systems experiencing failure rates as high as 35%. Gabe Klein, former executive director of the U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation, reflected on the federal approach, noting: “I think we put so much pressure on DC fast chargers. Some rightfully so; Some maybe we’ve over indexed. and I will admit at the federal level, we didn’t put enough emphasis on low-speed public charging, city streets, municipal garages, so on and so forth. We need a balanced system.“
The economic viability of EV charging also faces challenges due to demand charges, which can create unpredictable costs for operators. Fitzgerald observed a critical issue with publicly funded, free Level 2 chargers: “The level two at the grocery store that is free and there’s zero motivation to fix it once you’ve got that grant to install it. So we think about how do we sustain those beyond just the folks who took the grant, got it in there, and then it just gets dust.“
Addressing Consumer Misconceptions and Education Gaps
Despite high satisfaction rates among existing EV owners, the report points out that widespread misconceptions persist among the broader public regarding EV functionality and daily use. Darren Palmer, Global VP Electric Vehicle Programs at Ford Motor Company, highlighted this disconnect: “Consumers are not realizing the benefit because they focus on this trip and what won’t work on that trip. And, they also don’t really know that for those trips, say 500 miles, you stop for 20 minutes and you have to stop anyway for comfort, get a coffee and a doughnut. By the time you’re out, it’s charged.“
The Electric Vehicles Vision Group underscored the critical need for comprehensive public education campaigns to directly address these misconceptions about EV ownership. Sophia Schuster, Policy Principal at Michigan EIBC, reinforced this point: “I just wanted to kind of plus up the whole education component because a lot of Americans still really depend on the dealers to provide accurate information, and if the salespeople can’t do that, we have a huge problem.”
The full “Charging Ahead: Building Out the EV Charging Network” Vision Report is available for those interested in a deeper understanding of these critical areas shaping the future of U.S. EV charging.
