EV-Friendly Attractions

As drivers become increasingly concerned about their environmental impact, electric vehicle ownership has skyrocketed over recent years with a million EVs on the roads already - a number projected to rise to 18 million by the end of the decade. 

With plenty of states now committing to boost their EV infrastructure, taking a vacation with an electric vehicle has never been easier. Especially when car subscriptions mean everything from insurance to maintenance is covered and all you have to worry about is finding a charging station.  

But how many iconic tourist attractions cater to electric vehicles? We’ve taken a look at some of the US’s most popular attractions and landmarks to find out how many charging stations are available within a mile of some of the most popular tourist spots. We’ve also looked into the proportion of EV charging stations to visitors in some of the most popular cities. 

1. Pike Place Market (Seattle, Washington)

219 charging stations

Taking the top spot is Seattle’s Pike Place Market with a whopping 219 public charging stations within a mile of this historic attraction. The market is one of the largest and oldest in the US, continuously operating for over a hundred years. Located in the center of downtown Seattle, over 500 shops and restaurants offer everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to artisan goods and crafts.

2. Space Needle (Seattle, Washington)

197 charging stations

Up next is another Seattle attraction, the Space Needle. The futuristic tower is an icon of the city’s skyline, offering panoramic views of downtown Seattle, as well as nearby natural wonders like Mount Rainier and the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges. Thanks to the city’s commitment to installing public Level 2 EV chargers on curbsides throughout the city, there are 197 chargers within a mile of the Space Needle.

3. Faneuil Hall Marketplace (Boston, Massachusetts)

129 charging stations

Located in the heart of downtown Boston, the historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace takes third place. Also known as Quincy Market, this attraction is packed full of shops, restaurants, and unique sights offering a flavor of Boston’s distinctive culture. 

The Boston landmark has 129 public charging stations within a mile of its location, as the city has committed to having a public charging station within a 10-minute walk of every household. However, market demand has concentrated the initial rollout downtown, where providers are guaranteed to make a profit.

1. Mount Rushmore (Keystone, South Dakota)

1 charging station 

Mount Rushmore has the unfortunate title of the least EV-friendly tourist attraction, with only one public charging station within a mile of the iconic landmark. Playing host to two million visitors a year, the national memorial located in South Dakota’s Black Hills celebrates the many cultures and shared heritage that makes up the US. 

2. J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, California)

2 charging stations

Taking second place is the J. Paul Getty Museum with only 2 public charging stations within a mile of one of LA’s best art galleries. The museum is well-known for its vast collection of pre-20th-century artworks including Van Gough’s Irises and a photograph collection stretching back to 1830, it also plays host to contemporary sculpture and ancient artifacts.

3. Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, New York), Disney's Animal Kingdom (Orlando, Florida)

3 charging stations

Tied with Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, Niagara Falls has only three public charging stations within a mile of the visitor center for the natural wonder, although there are more chargers in the town of Niagara Falls itself. The attraction draws visitors year-round thanks to its awe-inspiring scenery, like the famous Horseshoe Falls where visitors can get up close to this natural wonder. With Niagara Falls being so popular, it's surprising the National Park has so few public charging points. 

Disney's Animal Kingdom shares third place with only three chargers within a mile of the theme park. Located in Orlando’s Disney World, the Animal Kingdom is dedicated to conservation and educating visitors about the natural world. It forms part of the world’s largest theme park and attracted over 13 million visitors in 2019, making it the world’s most popular zoo. 

1. Anaheim

12 charging stations per 100,000 visitors

The first of three Californian cities on the list, Anaheim takes the top spot with 12 public charging stations per 100,000 visitors. The city is home to Disneyland and the largest convention center on the west coast, so it's no surprise it's one of the US’s most visited cities, hosting an estimated 24 million tourists a year and with the infrastructure to support visiting electric vehicles.      

2. San Jose

10 charging stations per 100,000 visitors

Taking second place is San Jose. The Californian city is at the heart of Silicon Valley, so it comes as no surprise that a city filled with forward-thinking tech industry workers would rank highly on the list, with 10 public charging stations per 100,000 visitors. The city has also recently launched a pilot scheme to eliminate “charging deserts” in the area by installing banks of electric vehicle chargers in public spaces to increase access and encourage EV adoption. 

3. San Francisco, Honolulu

8 charging stations per 100,000 visitors

Two cities share third place with San Francisco and Honolulu both having eight public charging stations per 100,000 people. San Francisco has one of the densest charging networks in the US, which makes it the perfect location for visitors in electric vehicles. However, a recent study found that over a quarter of the public charging posts in the Bay Area were not functioning, so it's best to choose wisely if you’re planning a trip there.  

Honolulu also shares third place with 8 public charging stations per 100,000 visitors. The city has a high proportion of chargers as parking lots with over 100 spaces and all new buildings  must be equipped with EV chargers.

1. Various cities

1 charging station per 100,000 visitors 

Ten of the US’s most visited cities (Jacksonville, Orlando, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Nashville, Charlotte, Fort Worth, and Raleigh) only have a single public charging station per 100,000 visitors. The majority of these cities are in three states; Florida, Texas, and North Carolina. Surprisingly, Florida has the second highest rate of electric vehicle ownership in the nation but falls far behind California when it comes to public charging stations. 

Texan cities lag behind California too, with a single public charging station per 100,000 visitors in both San Antonio and Fort Worth. Although the state has recently pledged $408 million to build 50 more public charging stations along its national highways. 

Two cities in North Carolina, Charlotte and Raleigh also only have one public charging station per 100,000 visitors. Lawmakers in the state are hostile to the idea of free public charging stations, recently proposing a bill that would effectively remove the existing infrastructure, which could explain the dire lack of charging stations available to visitors.     

2. New York, Philadelphia, Columbus, Tampa, Portland

2 charging stations per 100,000 visitors

Five cities across the country, New York, Philadelphia, Columbus, Tampa, and Portland only have two public charging stations per 100,000 visitors. For cities like New York and Philadelphia, the huge number of visitors (65 million and 25 million respectively) drags the proportion of public chargers down. Although the same can’t be said for Columbus and Tampa, which only have 366 and 345 public charging points within a 25-mile radius of the city center.  

3. Miami, Chicago, Austin, Phoenix

3 charging stations per 100,000 visitors

Four cities share third place. A Floridian city appears in the bottom three for the fourth time as Miami only has 3 public charging stations per 100,000 tourists. Measures are being taken to improve the state’s EV charging infrastructure, although recent studies concluded 50% of the state’s public chargers are unreliable and poorly maintained. 

Texas also has a city in all three ranks, with its state capital Austin sharing third place. The city, which attracts tourists from all over the world thanks to its vibrant live music scene, world-famous SXSW festival, and renowned coffee culture has just 3 public charging stations per 100,000 tourists.   

Chicago also places third. The Windy City, known for its world-class museums and contemporary art scene attracts 24 million visitors annually. But with only 662 charging stations within 25 miles of its center, finding a space to top up an EV will prove difficult with only 3 per 100,000 visitors. 

A list of the US’s most popular tourist attractions and landmarks was gathered from list articles. Using the address for each attraction taken from Google Maps we found the number of public charging stations within a mile of each attraction according to the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Data Center.

To find the proportion of charging stations per 100,000 visitors we took the most visited cities in 2019 and their visitor numbers from list articles and found the number of public charging stations within a 25-mile radius of the city center according to the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Data Center. 

Note: for larger tourist attractions such as state parks, the address of the visitor center for each location was used.