These states rank highest for EV infrastructure

If you live in a rural area and have ever tried to find an EV charger, you’re likely aware that it can be a real chore in some places. Some states do better than others, however, and insurance hub Quote Wizard found that some of the best states are also among the least populated.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that California is at the top of the rankings. Quote Wizard said the state has 40 percent of the country’s EVs and a third of all the charging plugs. Looking at the EV adoption rate, alternative fuel stations per 10,000 vehicles, chargers per 10K vehicles, and the number of government incentives, the 10 best states for EV infrastructure currently include:

California
Colorado
New York
Vermont
Maryland
Massachusetts
Washington
Oregon
Utah
Hawaii

Not surprisingly, some of the states with the best infrastructure are also high on the federal government’s list of fund recipients. California will receive almost $82 million, while New York is lined up for a little over $37 million. Others have beefed up their infrastructure with much less money, such as Vermont and Hawaii, which received $4.5 and $3.8 million.

West Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana make up the bottom five states for infrastructure. Quote Wizard noted that the states have been slow to embrace EVs and have the lowest number of charging outlets, incentives, and charging stations.

The White House recently announced its roadmap to create a robust national EV charging network. Among the several partnerships and initiatives included in the plan, the administration noted that Tesla would open at least 7,500 of its chargers by the end of 2024. (We tried to charge a Kia at a Tesla Supercharger: Here’s how that went.) The automaker began that process in late February by equipping several of its chargers with the necessary CCS adapters to fit other EV brands.

At the same time, other automakers are partnering with gas and travel center chains to build chargers along highways in the United States. Pilot Company is working with GM and EVGo to build 2,000 fast chargers at its travel center locations. TravelCenters of America is working with Electrify America to build 1,000 more at its sites. And perhaps most promising of all, Walmart is expanding its national network of chargers.

For more information — including some surprising data about what it costs to insure an EV — check out the full report from Quote Wizard.