EV stats revealed: States with the most chargers

August 16, 2023

By Kim Komando

Quick, take your best guess! Which state has the most chargers per registered electric vehicle (EV)? 

Nope, it’s not California — though it is the state with the most EVs and the most EV chargers, all told. There are about 43,000 chargers (that’s 47 for every thousand EVs). That’s below the national average.

It’s easiest to find an open charger (theoretically, at least) in North Dakota. That’s according to Barron’s (paywall link). 

You’ll find the highest ratio of registered EVs to chargers there — 269 per thousand. It’s not the EV capital. There are only 640 registered battery-electric vehicles and 172 Level 2 and Level 3 chargers.

What’s that about levels?

Ah, yes, there are different levels of chargers. You know that all too well if you drive an EV.

• Level 1 is 120 volts and takes 11 to 20 hours to charge an EV from empty. (Usually not part of total charger counts since they’re slow and more suited to hybrid models.)
• Level 2 chargers, 240V, take 3 to 8 hours.
• Level 3 chargers, 480V, take just 30 to 60 minutes.

Overall, the U.S. has about 11,300 Level 2 chargers and 28,000 Level 3 chargers. About half the Level 3 chargers are operated by Telsa.