Smart distribution sets pricing from replacement cost.
Edit - Just saw this gave the reply to TheMandell, when I hit FormerShasta. This response is to FormerShastaās post: āStop saying wealthy. Tons of middle class buy EVs, at least in California. The tax breaks helped us quite a bit, and we certainly arenāt wealthy, especially living here.ā
Wealthy is a relative term. I can change that since it seems to bother you.
Research shows that the average EV buyer makes over $100,000 annually. It also shows that making $100,000 puts a person in the top 15% of the population. I can refer to them as the top 15% which would be technically correct.
I know many people in the $45,000-$70,000 range that would love to be getting more tax breaks or even just be able to afford buying a house. Yet many breaks do not go to that group.
The reply went to the right person on this oneā¦
Yes, I assume. You hit exactly on my point - build infrastructure for the population, not just give tax breaks to the top 15%.
As I posted a few spots up, the Chinese have built over 17 MILLION chargers for the population, while the US has only done about 65,000. That is thousand not million in the US. Now the Chinese have everyone able to drive EVs while the US is more limited.
17 million vs 65000, sounds misleading.
What surprises me is the number of gas stations in the US. About 170,000 stations , not counting pumps at the stations. I would thought it moreā¦
65,000 charging stations may not be too bad ???
5 - How Many Gas Stations Are in the United States?
There are approximately 10,700 stand-alone gas stations currently operating in the United States. However, that does not include the 84% of convenience stores that also sell gas. That adds another 126,840 retail fuel outlets to the total.
Key Data Points on US Gas Stations
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Total Locations: Estimates vary, but a 2026 report indicates roughly 151,975 convenience stores exist, with 122,620 selling fuel.
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Declining Trend: The number of independent gas stations has been declining over the past five years by an average of
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Dominant Chains: Major chains have the largest presence, with ScrapeHero listing Shell with 13,523 locations, Exxon Mobil with 11,014, and Marathon Petroleum with 7,472 as of 202
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Yupā¦
https://www.autoblog.com/news/china-now-controls-nearly-70-of-the-worlds-ev-batteries
China Now Controls Nearly 70% of the Worldās EV Batteries
Chinese manufacturers controlled around 70 percent of the global EV battery market in 2025, with CATL leading the industry.
If China keeps widening its lead, it could effectively set the global price floor for EV batteries. Unless American and allied automakers can scale up fast enough, they risk facing higher battery costs, which would make affordable EVs harder to build. That matters in the U.S., where budget-friendly choices are already scarce, with the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Nissan Leaf still among the few mainstream models hovering around the $30,000 range.
That figure is not considered wealthy. Welcome to 2026.
You are welcome to do your own research and share your findings as well.
Your post reflects much of the research I saw as well.
It is important to consider pumps though as that would be well over 1 million pumps (gas pump vs electric charging station would be more apples to apples). Higher ratios in denser populated areas. Think about how many pumps are at each station in a city like Houston.
Next consider pump time vs charge time. Now sucks, but once high speed chargers are available everywhere that will help.
That said, if half the population converted over to EV, that would be 500,000-600,000 high speed chargers (match fill time with charge time). Reduce some for home charging. Say 350,000 high speed chargers seems like a good number for population as a whole to begin switching without changing their entire lifestyle.
Now with slower chargers that might take 40 minutes or more, then you would probably have to double or triple the number which puts it near or over a million.
Those are my rough guesses for an impactful investment into a charging infrastructure that would actually make some difference. It would also need to be heavily set in urban areas where more people live in multi-unit buildings.
This jives with what Iāve been saying. Weāre still in the early adoption stage here in the US.
Early adoption stage is typically when higher income people and/or people who just have an interest in it (think hobby like behavior) pay extra for the latest and greatest technology.
Itās early adoption stage paves the way for future ramp ups in production, which lead to lower costs and more people adopting the product.
It wonāt be overnight. It will take years and years. But electric motors are inherently more efficient and easier to make than engines. Itās inevitable.
We didnāt transition from horse and buggy to car overnight.
Back then someone was probably saying you canāt build a car without using horses.
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Similar in some ways to early adoption, but different in others. A new home computer, jumping to DVDs over VHS, microwave all can be powered by existing home technology. The infrastructure was already there. Which is why I keep pointing to needs for stepping up infrastructure development as opposed to just supporting early adopters and hoping it trickles down.
Horse to car, based on quick research, was about a 40 year transition to mainstream cars. I donāt think we (the general population) want to wait until 2048 for mainstream adoption of EVs. Especially since China has shown it is possible in a matter of years to build the charging network across a nation.
Cel phones may be comparable, but again different. Could be plugged in at home so nothing to change by owner. Plus wireless companies rapidly built towers. Outside Tesla, no major car company is rapidly building a massive charging network. (Plus I would hate to see what the rates would be to charge a car by them - cel phone rates are outragious)
While very limited EV tech has been around for over a century the first successful company to sell EVS was Tesla starting 2008 when they sold about 100, maybe less. Last year they sold 1.6 million.
Iād say itās an apt comparison. How long did it take for gas station infrastructure to be in place?
And yes infrastructure absolutely has to continue to be going up. Luckily itās much, much cheaper to put up a charge station than it is a gas station. Thatās why weāve already seen them in front of grocery stores for years.
You can basically put them anywhere.
Iād love to see them at coffee shops all over.
Last I checked, electricity is available everywhere.
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Agree. Could be charging stations everywhere and make it convenient such as when at coffee shop (good call) or grocery store. That is why I find it frustrating that there is not an effort to get them out so everyone can switch easier.
Historical readings I looked at quoted 1910 to 1950 as the time it took to convert to gas powered cars as mainstream fully. That said, the roads are already in place, it is simply charging stations.
side note: The cost savings is only for home owners so that is a limit benefit. Has been posted here that charging stations are not really cheaper than gas. Also the used market will be very limited as they do not have the same longevity as ICE vehicles. Two other factors for consideration.
Not sure if your being dense or just trying to cause problems. EVs require specific charging capabilities. No one is running a bunch of 300 ft extension cords out their window to charge their cars in an apartment complex or high rise complexā¦
But the power line go to those apartments. Compared to gas or hydrogen.
Yes, it will be nice when we finally have more charging stations. A lot I hear do put a big premium on their electricity. Hopefully more competition in that market will drive prices down.
Home though is where itās at. Well, once I finally buy one some years from now.
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$25 full charge at charging station using a fast charger
Versus
$50 for a full tank of gas
Also gas is going up
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What does getting a full charge at home with your level 2 charger run you ?