How Many Americans Have Access To Electricity Where They Park?

Access to charging infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers to plug-in vehicle adoption. In an online survey conducted in May of 2020, respondents provided information on their household parking options, existing electrical access, and potential electrical access. Parking for single-family detached housing (SFH Detached) was most often a driveway/carport, followed by a personal garage or on-street parking.

Most of those with a personal garage had electrical access or potential electrical access, while less than half of those with driveways/carports had electrical access. SFH Attached housing had a smaller share of electrical access for their parking in personal garages and driveways/carports.

Apartment residents had the least access, with each of the three apartment categories having less than 25% access or potential access to electricity.

Notes: Households may have multiple parking options available, and respondents were allowed to choose all options that applied. Thus, totals for each housing category can be greater than 100%. SFH = single-family housing. Apt = apartment. Number of respondents = 3,772.

Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, There’s No Place Like Home: Residential Parking, Electrical Access, and Implications for the Future of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, NREL/TP-5400-81065, October 2021.

Courtesy of Energy.gov