Source: NYT > Business (paywall)
While EV adoption has plateaued in the U.S., a parallel infrastructure arms race is underway among retailers and hospitality chains competing to capture dwell time and build customer loyalty—treating chargers as amenities like Wi-Fi or parking. Deployment is outpacing actual demand. Retailers and chains are either speculating on future EV growth or betting that the charging experience itself—not just vehicle availability—is the actual constraint on adoption. The Southern expansion is particularly telling. These regions have lower EV penetration and longer distances between urban centers, placing real infrastructure bets before the market has matured.