Engineering Inc. - Winter 2020 - 11

Expected EV Increase to Result
in Site Infrastructure Changes
are different types of companies emerging in
this market. These include automakers such
as Tesla-which is building a network of
chargers solely for their automobiles-and
other companies aiming to serve broader
markets such as ChargePoint, EVgo, and
Electrify America.
With a decrease in demand for fossil fuels,
the number of retail gasoline stations in the
U.S.-currently more than 168,000-
may shrink and the properties would
need to be repurposed. Opportunities
for engineering firms will include not
only site design but also environmental
services related to underground storage
tank removal and redevelopment of
brownfield sites.
Currently, California and other large
states lead in the number of charging
stations-although the vast majority
are Level 2. In the table Top 10 EV
Charging Units by State and Charge Level,
May 2019 (below), the figures include
public and nonresidential charging
units (a charging station may have
multiple units). ■

GETTY IMAGES/SECTION45

By 2040, BloombergNEF predicts 57 percent of passenger vehicle sales globally will be electric vehicles (EVs), according to its
Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019. With this dramatic escalation, the
result may be a change in land use and infrastructure design. EVs
are currently less than 0.5 percent of the global vehicle fleet, but
a rapid adoption is expected mainly due to the falling prices of
lithium-ion batteries and a global carbon-emission consciousness.
Unlike fueling up at a gas station-which takes only a
few minutes-charging an electric-powered vehicle
takes more time, and analysts expect this will not
change dramatically even with further battery development. As a result, charging will continue to occur
where cars are parked for more than a few minutes,
including at owners' homes, workplaces, and retail
establishments such as large shopping centers.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates there are more than 68,800 Level 2 and DC
fast-charging units throughout the United States.
However, only 16 percent of these are DC fastcharging stations, which make long-distance travel
in an EV practical. According to DOE, a 20-minute
charge from a DC fast-charging unit results in 60-80
miles of driving range; for Level 2 chargers about one
hour of charging only adds 10 to 20 miles of range.
Development of DC fast-charging stations
will be key to alleviating "range anxiety." There

Top 10 EV Charging Units by State and Charge Level, May 2019

// 19,555
3,384

California
Florida
Texas
New York
Washington
Georgia
Colorado
Massachusetts
Maryland
Missouri

3,300
3,205
2,554
2,361
1,984
1,928
1,808
1,767

1,000

Commercial &
Residential Real Estate

& Logistics
&
Commercial & IntermodalIntermodal
Logistics
Residential Real Estate

Health Care & Energy & Utilities
Economic
Science+Technology
Outlook

2,000

10010
00100010001
00011101000110010
0010001000100011101
000110010001000100010
00111010001100100010001
0001000111010001100100
0100010001000111010001
1001000100010001000
11101000110010001
00010001000

3,000
20,000
Number of PEV Charging Units

22,620

Level 2 Charging Units
DC Fast-Charging Units

21,000

22,000

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Health Care &
Science+Technology

Energy &
Utilities

Annual Economic Outlook

Public-Private
Public-Private
Partnerships (P3s)
Partnerships (P3s)

The Private Side department focuses on
the private-sector markets to the left, and
information and insights on public-private
partnerships and economic data relevant to the
industry. For more on these topics, subscribe to
ACEC's bimonthly Private Industry Briefs:
https://programs.acec.org/industrybrief/.

Erin McLaughlin is ACEC's vice president of private market
resources. She can be reached at emclaughlin@acec.org.
WINTER 2020

ENGINEERING INC.

https://programs.acec.org/industrybrief/

Engineering Inc. - Winter 2020

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