by the numbers

Texas finishes low on list of EV charging stations despite increased efforts in Houston

California, with its 14,500 charging stations, has more EV charging stations than New York, Florida, and Texas combined. Photo via Getty Images

In a new report that ranked states with the most electric vehicle chargers, Texas falls behind other similarly-sized states

The SmartAsset study looked at the closest EV charging stations equivalent to a trip to the gas station — factoring in each state's population. California, with its 14,500 charging stations, has five times the EV charging stations as New York (3,327), Florida (2,913) and Texas (2,472). While California ranked No. 1 on the list, Texas found itself at No. 41.

The report used EV charger and station data for each state from the U.S. Department of Energy for 2022 and 2021. Population data is for 2022 and comes from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey. Cities were also ranked by the number of fast chargers per capita. In 2022, Texas had 1,386 fast DC chargers, 2,472 EV charging stations, and a fast charger growth year over year 53.5 percent.

Interest in electric vehicles ranked low in Texas according to a 2023 study by University of Houston and Texas Southern University. The Texas Trends survey revealed just 5.1 percent of Texans currently drive an electric-powered car, truck, or SUV, while 60 percent said they were not too likely or not at all likely to consider leasing or purchasing an electric vehicle in the future.

Even though in Texas, the interest in EVs may seem low, but Houston is trying to incorporate more innovation in this area. The city of Houston approved $281,000 funding for the expansion of free electric vehicle rideshare services in communities that are considered underserved by utilizing services like RYDE and Evolve Houston in December. The funding will be dispersed to RYDE in through the nonprofit Evolve Houston. Luxury rideshare company Alto, which currently operates in Inner Loop and Greater Houston, expanded its current service areas to The Woodlands and Spring, which will include an expanded fleet of EVs.

Another study showed that Texas is among the top of the pack for states with the most electric vehicle registrations, but Houston fell behind other large metros in the state for EV friendliness. The report from StorageCafe showed that Texas had the third-most EV registrations in the county in 2021 at 112,000 vehicles. California outpaced the rest of the country with 878,000 registrations for the No.1 ranking. The report found that Houston drivers registered 27,251 EVs in 2021.

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A View From HETI

Shoreless will open a new AI lab at Greentown Houston. Photo via GreentownLabs.com

Greentown Labs has partnered with Shoreless to launch an AI lab within its Houston climatetech incubator.

"Climatetech and energy startups are transforming industries, and AI is a critical tool in that journey," Lawson Gow, Greentown's Head of Houston, said in a news release. "We're excited to bring this new offering to our entrepreneurs and corporate partners to enhance the way they think about reducing costs and emissions across the value chain."

Shoreless, a Houston-based company that enables AI adoption for enterprise systems, will support startups developing solutions for supply-chain optimization and decarbonization. They will offer Greentown members climate sprint sessions that will deliver AI-driven insights to assist companies in reducing Scope 3 emissions, driving new revenue streams and lowering expenses. Additionally, the lab will help companies test their ideas before attempting to scale them globally.

"The future of climatetech is intertwined with the future of AI," Ken Myers, Founder and CEO of Shoreless, said in a news release."By launching this AI lab with Greentown Labs, we are creating a collaborative ecosystem where innovation can flourish. Our agentic AI is designed to help companies make a real difference, and we are excited to see the groundbreaking solutions that will emerge from this partnership."

Greentown and Shoreless will collaborate on workshops that address industry needs for technical teams, and Shoreless will also work to provide engagement opportunities and tailored workshops for Greentown’s startups and residents. Interested companies can inquire here.

Recently, Greentown Labs also partnered with Los Angeles-based software development firm Nominal to launch the new Industrial Center of Excellence at Greentown's Houston incubator. It also announced a partnership with Houston-based EnergyTech Nexus, which will also open an investor lounge on-site last month. Read more here.

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