In theory, electric cars are almost perfect. No noise, zero tailpipe emissions, no more visits to the gas station, instantaneous torque – the list of reasons for buying an EV goes on. The theory sort of falls apart when you get into the real world, however.
Not all countries have adequate charging grids, making owning an EV a bit of a chore for consumers that live in those areas. Research firm GoCompare recently set out to see which countries are best-prepared for mass adoption of EVs by analyzing the number of publicly accessible charging points per kilometer of each country’s road network.
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GoCompare only analyzed countries that are apart of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in their research, which is a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that analyzes the oil and energy markets in 30 different countries. The results are still quite interesting, however, with many wealthy countries apparently having lackluster charging networks.
Multiple factors, including the size of the country and the layout of their cities and road networks, can have an impact on these results, it should also be noted.
Scroll below for the list of the 10 worst countries to own an electric car.
10. USA
Coming in 10th on the list of worst countries to own an electric car is the United States, which has an average of 0.68 charging points for every 100 km. The USA probably isn’t actually the 10th worst IEA country to own an EV, but its size makes it difficult for the country to implement good charge point coverage. Expect the concentration of EV charge points in the US to expand massively in coming years.
9. Estonia
In ninth is Estonia, which has an average of 0.65 charging points for every 100 km. While Estonia once had a decent EV adoption rate, the country scrapped its EV tax credit program in 2015 after its carbon credits were exhausted.
8. Italy
Italy also has relatively poor EV charger coverage for such a small country, with an average of 0.56 chargers for every 100 km, or about 1 charger every 200 km. If you frequently drove long distances and lived in Italy, owning an EV would be a bit of a headache.
7. Canada
Canada has the same EV charger coverage as Italy with an average of 0.56 chargers for every 100 km. With harsh, long winters and limited charger coverage, owning an EV in Canada can be downright unrealistic. Some provinces, such as British Columbia and Quebec, have excellent charger coverage in certain areas, however, making EV ownership much more viable.
6. Czechia
Czechia has just 0.47 chargers for every 100 km. It’s not a very large country, either, so there aren’t very many charge points in Czechia at all. Maybe when a Skoda EV is released the Czechians will begin to flock to EVs.
5. Mexico
Mexico, a recent addition to the IEA, has just 0.39 charge points for every 100 km. Mexico showed a desire to lessen its dependability on oil in joining the IEA, so perhaps we’ll see the country set up more charging stations in the near future.
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4. Finland
Finland is a surprising addition to this list considering other countries not very far from it, such as Norway and the Netherlands, have the most concentrated charging grids on the planet. Like Canada, though, Finland is a large country with long cold winters, making EVs of limited to use to many consumers there – especially in rural regions.
3. Hungary
Hungary has just 0.13 charging stations for every 100 km. The country only has about 1,400 km of highway, too, so there aren’t very many EV chargers in Hungary at all.
2. Poland
The same is true for Poland, which has just 0.13 chargers for every 100 km.
1. Australia
Australia is the worst IEA country to own an EV with just 0.05 charge points for every 100 km. Australia is a massive country with much of its population located in a handful of major cities, which contributes to the lack of charge point coverage.
SEE ALSO: Ford Recalls Over 49,000 EV Charging Cables In US
[Source: GoCompare]