The number of plug-in ports for electric vehicles would need to increase more than 130 percent to meet future growth, a U.S. Energy Department study found. The U.S. Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates there are 16,000 charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles nation-wide, with 43,000 actual plugs available as of June. That number supports the more than 500,000 plug-ins on the road in the United States, which accounts for about a quarter of the global market. NREL examined market growth scenarios where that number increased to 15 million to quantify what’s necessary to support emerging trends. “In a plug-in vehicle market with 15 million vehicles, the total number of non-residential charging outlets, or […]