Public EV Chargers Doubled Since 2022, Reaching 5 Million

Public EV Chargers

The number of public EV chargers has more than doubled in an effort to support mass adoption of electric vehicles among the public. While home charging remains the most popular way for EV owners to charge their cars, these new public chargers are being rapidly installed in a bid to alleviate road range anxiety is often associated with such vehicles.

• In 2024, more than 1.3 million public charging points were added to the global stock, representing an increase of more than 30% compared to the previous year. Just the charging points added in 2024 were approximately equal to the total number of points available in 2020. About two-thirds of the growth in public chargers since 2020 has occurred in China, which now has about 65% of the charging and 60% of the electric light-duty vehicle stock globally.
• In 2024, Europe’s public EV charging network expanded significantly, growing over 35% to surpass 1 million points. The Netherlands led with 180,000 chargers, followed by Germany (160,000) and France (155,000). Eleven EU countries saw charging infrastructure growth exceed 50%, with Austria adding 8,000 points backed by a subsidy expiring in early 2025. The EU’s AFIR mandates fast chargers every 60 km on major roads by 2025, while building directives push for pre-cabling to ease future private charger installations.
• In the U.S., public charging grew 20% to nearly 200,000 in 2024. However, progress under the USD 5 billion National EV Infrastructure Program was slow, with only USD 30 million utilized by year’s end. An executive order in January 2025 paused further disbursements. India added 40,000 new public EV chargers in 2024, supported by INR 20 billion under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. However, new investment caps for tariff relief may limit automaker-led infrastructure expansion.
• Reduced Energy Costs: Bidirectional charging technology enables EV owners to sell excess energy stored in their vehicle batteries back to the grid or use it during peak demand hours. This feature can help EV owners reduce their energy costs and even earn profits in some cases.
• Growing EV Penetration: As the adoption of EVs continues to grow, the demand for charging infrastructure is also increasing. Bidirectional EV charging provides an opportunity to improve charging infrastructure by allowing EVs to not only receive electricity from the grid but also send it back during peak demand.
• Government Incentives: Various governments around the world are providing incentives such as tax credits and subsidies to promote the adoption of bidirectional EV charging technology. This has encouraged manufacturers to invest in the research and development as well as installation efforts of these public EV chargers 
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning are revolutionizing EV charging networks through predictive maintenance, load balancing, dynamic pricing, and user experience optimization. By analysing real-time sensor data, AI predicts equipment failures before they happen, reducing downtime and extending station lifespan. It also balances power loads to avoid grid overload, especially during peak hours. AI-driven dynamic pricing adjusts rates based on demand, encouraging off-peak charging. Additionally, AI-powered apps enhance user experience by offering real-time availability, estimated wait times, and personalized charging recommendations based on driving habits.