TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay region ranks below the national average for residents per electric charger, according to a study by an online car search tool, ISEECARS.com.
The study identifies which US cities and states are the most and least electric vehicle (EV)-friendly, both for Tesla and non-Tesla EV operators, a news release explains.
The study analyzes how many EV chargers are available per resident to determine the cities and states with the best and worst electric vehicle infrastructure.
The Tampa Bay region also reports having one electric vehicle charger for every 3,381 residents, -48.3% compared to the national average of one charger for every 2,280 residents, according to the study.
Statewide, Florida is ranked #22 in EV-friendly states, with one charger for every 2,911 residents, which is also below the national average.
Back in September, the Federal Highway Administration announced Florida would soon begin working on its plan to build electric vehicle charging stations across the state.
Florida's Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Deployment was approved ahead of schedule under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, the Biden administration announced Thursday.
The early approval makes Florida one of 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico with approved plans, the FHWA said. With approval, Florida has access to more than $900 million in NEVI formula funding to help build EV charges across the country.
"The NEVI formula funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which makes $5 billion available over five years, will help build a convenient, reliable, and affordable EV charging network across the country," the FHWA said in a news release.
Over the next five years, Florida is estimated to receive $198,057,481 in funding with $29,315,442 expected in 2022.
The state plans to add about 6,772 public charging ports to its charging network using funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The plan is to implement high-power chargers across over 6,244 miles of designated EV corridors in the state of Florida.