Texas ranked 3rd in nation for electric vehicle charging stations

Environment Texas

AUSTIN – Texas ranks 3rd in the country in total number of vehicle charging stations, according to a new report released today by Environment Texas.  With the right policies in place, plug-in vehicles can reduce oil dependence in Texas by more than six million gallons in the next three years, as much oil as leaked in the first month of the BP Gulf oil spill.

According to the Environment Texas report, Charging Forward: The Emergence of Electric Vehicles and Their Role in Reducing Oil Consumption, 25,746 drivers in Texas could purchase their first plug-in vehicle within the next three years. Overall these 25,746 vehicles will reduce Texas’s global warming pollution by 41,426 metric tons per year.  If the plug-in vehicles are powered by clean sources of electricity, these savings will rise to 107,861 metric tons per year.

“For decades, owning a car has meant consuming oil. Today, drivers finally have a choice,” said Luke Metzger, Director of Environment Texas. “Thanks in part to smart policies from the Obama administration, every major automobile manufacturer is offering a new plug-in vehicle powered primarily by electricity. For the first time, we can power our cars with clean energy.”

In Washington, President Obama has proposed fuel efficiency standards that Environment Texas credits as being the most important step ever taken to build clean, advanced technology cars that will get us off oil. His administration has also made investments in critical technologies, such as advanced batteries and high powered charging stations.

The Environment Texas report shows the impressive technological breakthroughs that have helped move plug-in vehicles into the fast lane, from advanced batteries that have dropped in price by over 80 percent, to super-fast charging stations that have reduced charge times by over 90 percent.

 To make plug-in vehicles a choice for more consumers, Environment Texas’ report calls for more work to be done to build the infrastructure of the charging stations that can service these vehicles, as well as more investment in the technologies that will drive down prices. Currently, Texas ranks 3rd in the country in total number of vehicle charging stations, thanks in large part to strong efforts in Houston and Dallas to develop extensive charging networks that span libraries, parks and shopping centers.  Between the two cities, eVgo, a commercial chain of charging stations, has established 120 charging stations, according to NRG Energy. Environment Texas called on state and federal leaders to help plug-in vehicles achieve the greatest possible pollution reductions by adopting policies that will ensure we get more of our electricity from clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.

“Electric vehicles offer all Americans hope for a cleaner, healthier future. But to make this promise a reality, continued public investment will be necessary to ensure that these vehicles are as convenient and as affordable as cars powered by oil,” concluded Metzger.

Environment Texas is a statewide, non-profit advocate for clean air, clean water and open spaces.