EV charge points: is your U.S. state or country a leader or a laggard?

For the first time, HERE and research firm SBD Automotive have compiled a comprehensive EV Index that shows the state of electric vehicle (EV) demand and infrastructure readiness across all 50 US states and 30 European countries.

The interactive EV Index shows the huge disparities between different regions. It was put together using various critical metrics, including the number of charging points (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), vehicle registrations, geography, and road network length.

Each of the following four metrics was ranked out of a maximum score of 25 to achieve a total of 100:

Inside the EV Index

Eight to 12 EVs per public charging point tends to be the ideal ratio for the average market to support seamless, convenient public charging, according to analysis from SBD Automotive.

There were some big differences between states in the United States and at a country level in Europe.

“Electric vehicles are top of mind for consumers, governments and the auto industry all over the world. Stemming from the development of our EV Charge Point Predictions product, HERE and SBD have uncovered a growing discrepancy in the ratio of EV charge points to EV vehicles on the road," said Chris Handley, Vice President of Dynamic Spatial Content at HERE Technologies. “Our analysis shows how much work needs to be done in order to usher in a fully electric mobility future."

In the United States, which had an EV market share in 2022 of just over 7%, there should ideally be eight to nine EVs per public charger, with each state having its own ideal ratio based on several market maturity metrics. 

An article in USA Today on the EV Index pointed out that most states fell "well below the sweet spot" in 2020, but that balance has tipped in the past couple of years.

California is the market-leading state in the United States. That makes its ideal ratio about 12 EVs per charge point — but North Dakota, with a large land area and very small EV fleet size, would need to aim for about two EVs per charge point. Many of the highest-ranking states overall are in the east of the country.

However, major travel corridors will continue to be equipped with additional public charging infrastructure in the coming years through National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program funding. This will ideally enable seamless electric mobility nationwide.

In Europe, huge differences in geography and government incentive programs can be seen in the results. Norway and the Netherlands, for example, have benefited from strong government support.

In Malta, there are far fewer charge points, as charging is rarely necessary in a small island nation. Cyprus also languishes at the bottom of the list. Some nations, including Poland and the United Kingdom, have set ambitious targets for EVs but did not score highly in our EV Index.

“While the maturity of charging infrastructure in each state and country generally follows population density and wealth, the EV Index clearly demonstrates that external factors such as government incentives help equip lower-density areas with much-needed charging capacity," said Robert Fisher, EV Principal at SBD Automotive.

“Charge point operators and regulators must continue to monitor the ratio of EVs to charging stations and power availability to the size of the EV fleet in communities and along corridors to ensure a seamless ownership experience as EVs go mainstream, while at the same time protecting infrastructure operating revenue."

How the EV Index was put together

The EV Index compares all federal states of the US (including Washington D.C.) and the EU-27, plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK. All EV charging location data was pulled from the HERE EV Charge Points API for December 1^st of 2020, 2021 and 2022. Government sources include AFDC, the U.S. Census Bureau, Eurostat, EAFO, The CIA World Factbook, the ONS, and the FHWA. Only battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are included in our EV Index.

For the purposes of this EV Index, a charge point refers to a device used to exchange energy between the EV and the grid. Only publicly accessible charge points are included.