EV Charging Gains Leave Local Coverage Gaps as Confidence Rises

The HERE-SBD assessment reports a 47% increase in the U.S. charging power footprint and improving perceptions of public charging availability. Those gains accompany slower EV uptake rather than a matching rise in sales.

City and county decision-makers face a coverage problem that national infrastructure totals cannot resolve. Local charger locations, availability and charging speeds offer a more practical starting point for planning than consumer optimism alone.

For cities and counties, the civic issue is whether residents can find usable charging where they travel—not simply whether national charger totals rise. TD World reports that the 2026 HERE-SBD EV Index puts the U.S. charging power footprint at 20.7 GW, up 47% from 14.1 GW. Positive perceptions of public charging availability rose from 28% in 2025 to 47% in 2026, while 53% of U.S. drivers surveyed said they were more open to considering an EV. Yet coverage remains uneven and charging availability and range remain leading barriers. The article provides no local installation costs or staffing requirements, so it does not establish a municipal funding case. A practical first step is to examine local coverage and charger-availability information before defining investment priorities. Improving sentiment is a planning signal, not evidence that local charging demand or EV purchases will necessarily accelerate.

Evidence supplied by TD World.