LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – There are more electric vehicles in the US than ever before and more hit the road every day, but the number of chargers needed to keep them going is seriously lagging behind. That’s according to a new study.
Here in Nevada while we now rank in the top 10 for highest percentage of electric vehicles, we are in the bottom 10 for the number of chargers and that’s lead to big frustrations for EV drivers.
“I am swapping this in tomorrow and getting a gas vehicle,” that is what one frustrated EV driver told FOX5 over the summer while waiting in line to use public chargers. At that station where he was waiting outside the Walmart on Marks in Henderson, FOX5 was there as a driver jumped the line and a fight broke out. Police were called in.
The 2024 US EV Charging Station Report by driver education company Zutobi found EV numbers have exploded, now with more than 3.1 million registered EVs in the US, a 114% increase from 2023. However, the study found charging infrastructure is lagging behind, growing only 25% during the same period.
There are now 47,361 registered EV’s in Nevada, about five percent of all vehicles in the state, ranking Nevada #8 in state-to-state rankings of the highest percentage of EVs.
Despite the high number of electric vehicles, Nevada is grappling with a lack of infrastructure. There are only about four charging stations per 100 EV’s, ranking Nevada 43rd for EV chargers and creating critical bottlenecks and long wait times for EV owners looking to charge up.
“Half the time at this place here only one is available and there are six cars waiting to use it and so you tell me. That is six hours to wait to charge your electric car,” explained Kenneth Thomas, an EV driver waiting at a charging station in Las Vegas.
As FOX5 has previously reported, EV charging stations across the nation and here in the Vegas Valley have been targeted by thieves who strip copper from the charging cables taking much needed chargers out of service.
For the full 2024 U.S. EV Charging Station Report, click on the link.
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