U.S. climate goals for economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 require rapid decarbonization of the light-duty vehicle fleet and plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) are poised to become the preferred technology for achieving this end. Considerable investments in public and private EV charging infrastructure will be needed to support widespread adoption, however, guidance is still lacking on when, where, and what types of chargers will be needed.

In this Load Management Dialogue, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discuss findings from a recent quantitative assessment of the charging network requirements needed to support 50% of light-duty EV sales by 2030. This study produced multiple detailed network growth trajectories at the national, state, and local levels that can serve as a guidepost for future planning.

In addition, an overview of NREL’s publicly accessible EV infrastructure tools and data sets, designed to support planning and decision-making for EV infrastructure stakeholders, will also be provided.