Creating garage space raises homes capable of EV charging from about 31 million to more than 50 million. Including houses where owners think wiring can be added increases that total to over 72 million homes. Telemetry projects US EV numbers in 2035 at 33 million to 57 million vehicles. Although 90 percent of houses could potentially add a 240 V outlet, many lack an outlet near where they park. Nearly 34 million homes will need extensive electrical upgrades to support level 2 charging, and those upgrades can cost thousands of dollars. Multifamily buildings add permission and large-cost barriers, often requiring expensive panel and infrastructure upgrades that can run into seven figures.
Creating garage space would increase the number of homes capable of EV charging from 31 million to more than 50 million. And when we include houses where the owner thinks it's feasible to add wiring, that grows to more than 72 million homes. And that's far more than Telemetry's most optimistic estimate of US EV penetration for 2035, which ranges from 33 million to 57 million EVs on the road 10 years from now.
Just because 90 percent of houses could add a 240 V outlet near where they park, it doesn't mean that 90 percent of homes have a 240 V outlet near where they park. According to that same NREL study, almost 34 million of those homes will require extensive electrical work to upgrade their wiring and panels to cope with the added demands of a level 2 charger (at least 30 A), and that can cost thousands and thousands of dollars.
Using my 1960s-era co-op as an example, after getting board approval to add a pair of shared level 2 chargers in 2019, we were told by the power company that nothing could happen until the co-op upgraded its electrical panel-a capital improvement project that runs into seven figures, and work that is still not entirely complete as I type this.
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