EV Infrastructure Expansion Complicated by Uneven Demand
Date Posted: December 14, 2021
Posted In: News,
From Missouri Business Alert: Leaders in Missouri’s energy sector seem to be in agreement that electric vehicles are the future. But deciding where to invest in charging infrastructure is not easy.
There are more than 2,000 public charging ports in Missouri, placing the state ninth in the country for available chargers, according to a report from the Missouri Energy Initiative. By 2030, the state will need an additional 8,000 charging ports to keep up with growing demand, the report says. Given the current rate of charger installation, Missouri will need to pick up the pace.
Travis Wood, policy and program manager for the Missouri Energy Initiative and author of the report, spoke during an EV discussion hosted by the organization Thursday on how to place charging infrastructure in a way that supports EV growth across the state.
“Main obstacles highlighted by stakeholders were high upfront costs for charging stations, especially (direct current) fast charging stations, return on investment issues and, related to that, EV adoption issues, and lack of statewide coordination,” Wood said.
Infrastructure providers are hesitant to invest in EV charging across rural Missouri, for fear that not enough locals will make the switch to electric and use the chargers to cover the cost of installation. After all, the state ranks 33rd in the nation for EV adoption, according to MEI’s report, and rural areas are where adoption rates lag the most.
“It is this balance between chicken and egg, being prepared for the cars that we know are coming while also using that to encourage more adoption,” said Patrick Justis, manager of electrification efforts for St. Louis-based utility Ameren. “Because this does benefit us economically.”
Amid a climate emergency and a federal push toward electric vehicles, many of the world’s biggest automakers have joined the shift. Promises of electrified fleets and carbon-neutral operations from GM, Ford, Volkswagen and others have saturated business news in recent years.
In the words of a Forbes headline earlier this year: “Electric Cars Are Coming And If You Don’t Like It, Tough.”