See How E.V. Road Trips Went From Impossible to Easy

Long drives that were once effectively impossible with an electric car have become doable. Routes that once required careful planning now have abundant fast chargers.

For E.V. owners, one quintessential American experience — hitting the open road — is no longer just a dream.

Consider the drive from Nashville to New Orleans.

Nashville New Orleans This route runs about 500 miles. This route runs about 500 miles. In 2015, there was a gap of around 500 miles between fast chargers. You could stop at a slow charger — which would take hours — or make a detour. In 2015, there was a gap of around 500 miles between fast chargers. You could stop at a slow charger — which would take hours — or make a detour. In 2020, the drive was possible with some preparation. For most of it, you were no more than 50 miles from a fast charger. In 2020, the drive was possible with some preparation. For most of it, you were no more than 50 miles from a fast charger. Today, it’s easy. Long stretches of the trip have a charger within 10 miles. Today, it’s easy. Long stretches of the trip have a charger within 10 miles. Zoom out and you can see most major highways across the country are now lined with fast chargers. Zoom out and you can see most major highways across the country are now lined with fast chargers. That’s a huge leap from the picture back in 2015. That’s a huge leap from the picture back in 2015.

E.V. fast-charging stations in the United States have soared in number from around 1,000 a decade ago to 12,000 today, according to federal government data. And despite the Trump administration’s hostility toward electric vehicles, and its attempts to end federal funding for public chargers, new stations are still going up — around 2,000 so far this year.

The cumulative effect of that boom means that large portions of the country are now within reach of a fast charger, though some rural regions and smaller roadways lag behind