BURBANK, Calif. — The promise of a greener future is hitting a major obstacle in California and the U.S. More Americans are switching to electric vehicles, but the lack of accessible charging stations is frustrating many and causing them to rethink their decision.
At a Supercharger station in Burbank, electric vehicle drivers waited in long lines that wrapped around a parking lot, and maintenance crews worked on at least two chargers.
ZeAndre Simpson was among the dozens waiting.
“Right now I’m at 2%,” he said. “Six miles. And when I got here I think I was at least 18 miles,” he said.
Simpson switched to electric a few years ago, but still owns a petrol-powered vehicle just in case.
“I feel like electric cars have been around for a while, so I don’t know why companies aren’t catching up,” Simpson said. “There are a lot of cars on the road right now. There should be chargers, just like there are gas stations.”
As the number of electric vehicles on the roads grows, the infrastructure must keep pace.
According to the California Energy Commission, the Golden State needs one million electric vehicle charging stations by 2030 to meet demand. Currently, there are about 100,000.
Stanford professor Bruce Cain has been researching environmental policy for 10 years. “There’s a lot of bureaucracy that I think has been underestimated by the people who set these goals,” Cain said.
Cain says the first challenge is funding. Building a nationwide network of charging stations is expensive. Installing and maintaining each portal can cost $120,000 or more.
California recently invested nearly $2 billion to build 40,000 chargers, but Cain says more is needed.
The second hurdle? The bureaucratic requirements.
The approval process for installing new chargers is often lengthy and cumbersome.
But Cain says lawmakers can meet these challenges by being open.
“We need to be as aggressive as the world allows us to be, and we need to be open about all the obstacles that lie ahead,” Cain said.
One of these obstacles? Consumer confidence.
According to a global mobility survey by McKinsey & Company, 46% of electric vehicle drivers say they would be likely to switch back to a gasoline-powered car.
However, Zeandre says he won’t regret the purchase as he will still save money on gas when it’s finally his turn to charge.
“Here we go, I’ll be here for another 20 minutes,” Simpson said.
Simpson spends the rest of the day preparing for power as California works on power for 2035.
