Elk Horn, Iowa Claims Highest Concentration of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Elk Horn, Iowa, population approximately 600, has four public EV charging stations, giving it the highest concentration of public charging stations anywhere. The community has plans to build four more stations there in the next few months, bringing the total to eight.

In an interview with AASHTO’s Transportation TV, Mike Howard, the 57-year-old businessman who is the brains behind the interest in electric cars in his community said:

We are really pre-positioned here way ahead of the curve. We are confident that when electric cars come, we have a location where people can charge their vehicles, enjoy our town, and then be able to continue on their journey.

Howard hopes to expand the presence of public charging stations along the Interstate 80 corridor, linking tiny Elk Horn to hundreds of thousands of travelers crossing the Midwest.

Although use of electric cars is still not widespread, Howard predicts that in the near future, their numbers on the road will increase significantly. “My prediction is maybe 70-80% of the population will have electric vehicles in 10-15 years,” Howard said.