As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road rises, so does the number of EV charging stations—and they outnumber gas stations in Manhattan.
Key Details
- EVs have been dominating the roads lately and now so are the charging stations.
- In Manhattan, EV charging stations now outnumber the number of gas stations.
- Manhattan has about 320 publicly accessible charging locations, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, compared to just 29 gas stations, according to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Why it’s important
The number of people wanting EVs has hit a tipping point, more than half of car buyers worldwide want EVs.The latest EY Mobility Consumer Index shows that 52% of people looking to buy a car want to buy an EV. This is the first time the number has exceeded 50%, representing a rise of 11 percentage points since last year.
Gas was once the only way to get cars from point a to point b, now in the world of EVs, chargers are the way to go. As the number of EVs continue to skyrocket, so do the charging stations.
In Manhattan alone, EV chargers now outnumber its gas stations more than 10 to one.
Although EV chargers are dominating gas stations in Manhattan, Gas stations still dominate citywide with 697 across all five boroughs, versus about 520 charging sites but there, too, the chargers are catching up, according to Bloomberg writers David Baker and Hadriana Lowenkron.
The reason for the chargers taking over gas stations isn’t solely due to EVs dominating the market. It’s mostly because gas stations aren’t the most profitable business and the land on the island is too valuable to waste on gas stations.
One by one Manhattan’s gas stations have been bulldozed to make way for condos and offices, according to Bloomberg.
Analysts expect the chargers to continue to grow across the city as the numbers of EVs increase.
