EV charging: Why demand outpaces infrastructure growth

Electric vehicle charging demand is outpacing infrastructure deployment at a rate that could become a major barrier to adoption, according to ChargePoint Holdings.

The U.S.-based EV charging solutions provider recorded 34 percent more charging sessions globally last year — more than twice the 16 percent growth in new ports—highlighting a gap that experts say requires urgent attention beyond simply adding more chargers.

“Charging infrastructure isn’t keeping up with driving demand,” ChargePoint CEO Rick Wilmer said in a report. “Our volume of charging sessions increased by more than one-third, despite a much smaller increase in the number of vehicles on the road.”

The company provides hardware, software and cloud integrations to more than a dozen automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai and Volvo.

“We’re closing in on half a billion charging sessions, with a billion already in sight,” Wilmer said. “I don’t see that as a milestone. I see it as proof of the momentum ahead.”

Global charging ports will increase to almost 23 million by 2040 from 6.6 million last year, the company said, citing BloombergNEF’s Electric Vehicle Outlook 2026, published in June. That creates a significant infrastructure challenge: The charging network has to scale not only with the number of vehicles, but also with how frequently drivers use public and private charging, it said.

More EVs create more demand for EV chargers but the growth may not happen at the same pace, Gartner Vice President of Research Pedro Pacheco said. For instance, when you combine faster chargers together with vehicles that can also charge faster, this means shorter rotation times per car and hence, more cars can use the same charger, Pacheco said in an emailed reply to questions.

At the current growth rate, several European countries will soon achieve a level of EV penetration with a growing number of drivers who can’t charge at home, Pacheco said. This is a major hindrance that increases the need for alternatives such as workplace charging — an extremely underdeveloped segment, and retail charging, mostly supermarkets, he said. “Countries must prepare to cater to these new EV drivers who can’t charge at home, otherwise this can become a big obstacle to adoption,” Pacheco said.

Ubiquitous charging will drive EV adoption

More ubiquitous charging, in addition to affordable EVs, is the real drivers of EV adoption, ChargePoint said.

AC Level 2 charging remains “the practical backbone of the EV charging ecosystem,” ChargePoint said because it’s considerably cheaper to install and can be deployed at homes, workplaces and other buildings. The company said its new Flex architecture increases maximum output to 19.2 kilowatts from 12 kW previously.

ChargePoint said DC fast charging is “racing toward” the five-to-10-minute fueling time internal combustion engine drivers expect.

ChargePoint expects growth in Europe to follow the introduction of fast EV charging technology in the second half of 2026. It has teamed up with Eaton, an intelligent power management provider to introduce its ChargePoint Express Grid architecture with high-power charging of up to 600 kW for passenger EVs compared with the current 350-kW industry standard.

In Europe, vehicles with 800-volt electrical architectures are gaining ground, accounting for 13 percent of new EV sales in the U.K. and Germany in 2025, up from 5 percent in 2024. More than half of ultra-fast connectors in those two markets supported 800-volt vehicles by early 2026, ChargePoint said.

ChargePoint sees potential in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, in which EV batteries could return power to the grid (V2G) during peak demand or supply backup power to homes (V2H).

Robotaxis could further reshape charging demand patterns. ChargePoint projects 8 million robotaxis in North America by 2030, with robotaxis potentially accounting for more than 35 percent of EV electricity demand in North America and more than 10 percent in Europe.

That would create a different charging requirement from privately owned cars: high-utilization fleets would need rapid, reliable charging and strategically located infrastructure.

Other challenges are arising as charging becomes more mainstream. Increasing cable theft has prompted ChargePoint to introduce cut-resistant charging cables, designed to make cable theft more difficult while retaining flexibility for drivers.