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Minnesota Now with Nina Moini
Nina Moini and Aleesa Kuznetsov

New report finds Twin Cities metro will need 88,000 more public EV chargers by 2040

In an aerial view, Tesla cars recharge at a Tesla charger station. The tops of cars are seen and clearly marked on grey asphalt in between white parking space lines are the words "EV Charging Only."
In an aerial view, Tesla cars recharge at a Tesla charger station on February 15, 2023 in Corte Madera, Calif.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

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A new report from the Metropolitan Council has found a significant gap between the number of public electric vehicle, or EV, chargers currently in the Twin Cities metro and the projected demand.

The report found there are 2,118 public EV chargers in the seven-county metro. That will need to grow to roughly 90,000 by 2040, when the Met Council forecasts there will be 1.2 million electric vehicles in the Twin Cities, or 30 percent of light-duty vehicles.

Right now, one percent of light-duty vehicles on the road are electric, but sales are closer to six percent.

The Met Council is the regional policy-making body and planning agency in the seven-county metro. Their EV charging report is part of the agency’s effort to accelerate electric vehicle adoption to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health, and make driving a vehicle more affordable.

“Our long-range transportation policy plan does support the state's climate vision to be carbon neutral by 2050. And EVs are really a great opportunity to address a large part of that problem,” Tony Fischer, transportation planner with the Met Council, told MPR News host Nina Moini.

Fischer says the jump to 90,000, a 42-fold increase, is ambitious but doable, and they will be working with both the private and public sector to make it happen. The report will help the Met Council determine where to allocate federal funds that can help pay for public chargers.

“Looking at that multi-unit housing residents, looking at low-income residents, as the price of these cars comes down and more and more used EVs are available, there's just going to be just a lot more people with different incomes that are interested in these,” said Fischer.

The Met Council expects some numbers and needs to shift as EV adoption grows, and new data becomes available.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation between Fischer and Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.