THE NEED
The Electric Vehicle revolution is coming and will require a charging infrastructure to support it. As the number of EVs on the road continues to grow, so will the demand for higher capacity and high-speed charging. Currently, charging is inconvenient and costly for both EV owners as well as businesses who want to provide the service. In order to drive mass adoption of EVs, we need to have chargers to power the cars of tomorrow!
A Lack of Accessible DC Fast Chargers
The majority of the chargers implemented in the field are of the Level 2 type, which equates to outputs ranging from 3.3kW to 7kW. These types of chargers are great for topping off vehicles while remaining idle for long periods of time (More than 1 hour). However, for those wanting to traverse long distances, these charges are not adequate in terms of time.
This is where Level 3 charges, like those offered by Tesla, come into play. They provide users the ability to recharge vehicle batteries to a high state of charge in a very short period of time (10min-30min depending on state of charge and vehicle) with outputs up to 350kW. When traversing long distances, or just requiring convenience, Level 3 charging has no comparison.
A Disjointed System
Unfortunately, the current Level 3 charger infrastructure in the United States is relatively small, improperly spaced out, and fairly segregated. Tesla dominates the DC Fast Charging space with their Supercharger infrastructure, but it’s exclusive to Tesla owners. Each of the main companies have their own app or membership-based payment system, which means users need multiple memberships to charge their vehicles at different stations. The spacing and locations of these level 3 chargers are not the most convenient nor practical for much of the United States. Most are located near major cities and hubs, which means traversing within these areas doable, but not in any way easy due to scarcity. Traveling in-between these areas is something that in many cases unfeasible due to the unavailability of reliable, fast charging infrastructure along the way as well as at final destinations.
Gas Station Density
Density is another metric where DC fast charging will need to improve upon in order to support mass EV transportation. This map depicts the current distribution of gas stations in the United States.
DC Fast Charger Station Density
Compare that to this map of the current distribution of DC Fast Charger stations in the United States, including the Tesla Supercharger Network. The number of gas stations far outweighs the number of DC charging stations currently in the US. Additionally, the spacing and coverage of gas stations is much more vast and uniform in comparison.
The Current State of Charging Stations
Lack of Quality
Chargers are inconsistent in quality across the United States, with a clear lack of accessible Level 3 chargers. This makes meeting future demands for electricity difficult.
Disjointed System
The current state of DC fast charging is not unified, creating a massive inconvenience to users. Users need multiple apps and memberships in order to access different fast charging networks.
Inconsistent Distribution
The spacing and density of current fast chargers is inconsistent, with gaps between cities. This limits the distance users can travel in electric vehicles compared to conventional ICE vehicles.