Report: WA State Over 2.9 Million Short of EV Charging Station Needs

Washington state, under legislative laws pushed by Governor Jay Inslee, appears to be on the road to banning the sale of new gas or diesel-powered vehicles by 2035. However, to meet the EV (electric vehicle) needs set by the state, the state is woefully short on charging stations.

A new report indicates several million short

According to information reported by The Center Square, the Washington State's Department of Commerce Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) says there will be a need for at least 3 million charging stations (public and private) by 2035.

These numbers are based on state government projections. Currently, the EVC says there are 4,500 charging stations (public and private) in WA.

Of those, it's estimated less than 1,000 are Level 3, or rapid charging units. Level 3 chargers can return full power to an EV in about 30-40 minutes, Level 2 chargers take anywhere from 4 to ten hours, and Level 1 (which many EV owners have in their homes) use the 'trickle' effect and usually require overnight plugging in.

Based on EVC numbers, the state would have to build over 2.9 million charging stations, which is an average of 250,000 each year. However, The Center Square reports only 460 charging units were made operational in 2021.

The cost of this project could be staggering, The Center Square reports WA State Department of Transportation figures show the cost of a Level 3 high power charging station can run as high as $172.000.

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If you utilize that figure, and multiply it by 2.9 million (rounding down slightly the number of charging stations needed to reach the 'goal')  it is right at $498 billion dollars.

According to DOT and Department of Licensing figures, there are 104,000 EV's registered in Washington state.