Part of the problem with electrical vehicles, and part of the reason some people haven't considered purchasing them, is because charging stations can be few and far between.
To avoid running out of power mid-trip, you have to do a little more planning than with gas-powered vehicles.
Fortunately that's changing.
The electric vehicle industry is booming, and we're glad to see Missouri is among the states taking the lead in accommodating them.
On Tuesday, we reported Missouri is No. 7 among states when it comes to the ratio of electrical vehicle and charging stations. Missouri has 6,740 registered electric vehicles (EVs) across the state with 985 charging stations available, based on a new study compiled with data from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Of the six states that topped Missouri's ratio, Missouri has by far the highest number of EVs. None of the other six states have more than 2,000 registered EVs.
Here in Cole County, there are 75 registered EVs and nine charging locations. The locations include Culver's, Nissan of Jefferson City and the North Jefferson Recreation Area. A pair of chargers, located at the Courtyard by Marriott, were installed in 2020 in collaboration with Ameren Missouri, the area's energy provider.
Ameren has led with a focus on EV charging infrastructure, installing charging infrastructure across the state.
The company also encourages EV charger adoption, offering incentives for businesses to install chargers at a reduced cost while allowing them to set their own prices for the energy provided. Ameren offered a total of $5 million in these incentives last year.
Ameren is also part of a multi-company coalition working to expand infrastructure throughout the Midwest, seeking to meet the rising demand for EVs that is estimated to see more than 18 million EVs on the road by 2030, requiring 9.6 million chargers to keep pace.
We commend Ameren and everyone involved in making Missouri an EV-friendly climate, and we encourage Missouri lawmakers to do the same in the future.
News Tribune