How to Build Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Why siting charging stations at Walmart doesn’t make sense yet
In a recent post, I asserted that electric vehicle (EV) charging networks shouldn’t be siting their new charging stations at big box stores like Walmart and Target. I’ve since gotten a number of responses arguing that big box store parking lots are perfect places for EV charging stations. One person suggested, “How better to normalize EVs than by putting them where most people shop?”
When we consider the total number of light duty vehicle sales between 2011 and 2019, electric vehicles accounted for only about 1% of the 146 million cars sold in the United States. If our goal is 100% adoption, then we have to consider where we are on the road to that goal. If you look at the image above, you will get what is a common understanding of an adoption curve. This adoption curve explains when most people adopt new products and how we should think about their identities as consumers.
We are only just finishing the Innovators phase. Right now, in the electric vehicle movement, we are moving into the phase that would be described as the Early Adopters phase. This phase will happen fast over the next few years as more and better electric vehicles hit the market and prices for electric vehicles become more…
