Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Recommendations to Support Travel in Wisconsin

The objective of this project is to recommend where investments should be made in the electric charging infrastructure. Ensuring consumers have access to charging stations will drive adoption of the electric vehicle. This project utilized data of electric charging station locations and types in the United States, electric vehicle sales and ranges from 2011 to 2022, impacts to electric vehicle ranges, and hotels and restaurants indicating where people travel. The electric vehicle sales data was utilized to identify the trends of the electric vehicles being purchased. The battery ranges of those electric vehicles were used to determine where the gaps in the electric charging infrastructure exist. Research was done to determine conditions which impact the range of an electric vehicle. This research was used in the calculations of the range data to ensure that charging stations would be available to travelers whenever needed. Hotels were chosen where charging could be done overnight while travelers rest allowing for a longer time to charge. This analysis was included as charging stations with slower charging rates would have a cost savings as compared to the faster charging. Restaurants were used for the data where faster charging would be required so that the traveler can charge in the time it would take to have a meal. The charging station infrastructure was mapped to identify areas within the United States where there were gaps in coverage. Wisconsin was identified as an area on this map where additional charging infrastructure was needed, so specific areas in Wisconsin were recommended.