The discussion about electric vehicles was once punctuated with concerns about the chicken and egg impasse. Would manufacturers build these vehicles and would consumers buy them if they lacked for an EV charging network? Likewise, if electrical chargers preceded the cars, what if, field of dreams, the vehicles did not show up.
There are still chicken and egg problems, but you hear about them less. It’s not clear whether there are enough chickens on the road now, i.e. cars, scratching out their electrical feed or whether it’s just an outdated way to think about how we power up. With a wink wink, perhaps the EV Chicken (finally) Crossed the Road to Charge.
Change Happens:
A couple of factors have helped us reach this point. Most notably is improvement in vehicle range. In the 1990’s when chickens and eggs dominated the discussion EVS ran on lead-acid batteries. They only went 75 to 100 miles. That might have been practical for a neighborhood electric car, akin to a golf cart charging with a 110 Volt outlet. These small cars did not inspire the charging network to grow.
The “chicken and egg” problem is not unique to electric vehicles. Similar issues once plagued gasoline cars, and continue for hydrogen powered vehicles. In the case of the gasoline vehicles, gas stations and the popular, more affordable Model T had the opportunity to grow together. Prior to the Model T there was no standard fueling source so early motorized carriages operated on kerosene, on steam, or on 12 volt electric batteries (!). Since many homes and businesses were not yet wired, EVs were used more in taxi fleets. To solve the refueling problem, some taxi services invented the battery swap. (Note: in 2015, Tesla briefly implemented a battery swapping station at Harris Ranch in California).
Gassing Up:
Some of the earliest gas stations were tank trucks. A large hose dispensed fuel from the tanker truck directly into the car. The other option was the gas can: pharmacies, grocery stories and blacksmith shops sold fuel this way. Today gas stations seem to be everywhere- there are a reported 145,000 outlets, but the number is not growing.
An electrified jolt of gratitude is due to Elon Musk and his co-founders. The Tesla company, circa 2003-2004, was centered on producing cars- not the chargers. But they addressed the chicken and egg problem head-on. Their first charging station opened in 2012 and has grown to about 2600 stations today. (note: each station has multiple charging ports, on average 12. While their super-charger network gets most of the attention, they also had insight to grow the market for wall chargers and solar installations.
Density:
In 2025, some chicken and egg issues remain, but more so because of geography and density. EV chargers are not distributed evenly. They tend to be clumped together spatially, in urban areas. You can find a gasoline station nearly every ten miles but per an older 2023 study, only 22 charging ports per the same distance. EV cars take longer to refill at an electric vehicle charging station than a gas car so they also need more physical plugs.
The Biden administration and U.S. Senate came up with a program that would have “killed” the chicken and egg dilemma called NEVI. The national electric vehicle infrastructure channeled federal funds to Departments of Transportation to incentivize private EV station operators. It would have made driving an EV coast-to-coast on Interstates more predictable.
For the time being, EV drivers might wish they could bring an electric cord that trailed along. Ironically, it’s somewhat feasible. We don’t have a fast (Level 3) EV charging station on every corner, but we do have multiple electrical outlets in every building, rest stop, and gas station! Companies like ItsElectric have a business model where drivers bring their own cord to a charging pedestal. Occasionally mobile services, like SparkCharge.io or even AAA drive their “tanker trucks”to refuel an EV. This model works not only for spot-refueling, but also for overnight charge-ups. Solar energy could also be a power source but again, drivers don’t have the means to tap and store that energy.
Charging Forward:
Most significantly, the cars themselves- with better batteries and ranges exceeding 300 miles – drive themselves beyond the chicken and egg impasse. ICE drivers who are risk-adverse might prefer getting a hybrid vehicle, that uses dual power sources. But if you follow the history, we have also tried that route. In 1900 Ferdinand Porsche invented a vehicle that put electric motors on the front wheels, and recharged them with an onboard gas powered generator. The car, called the Mixte, never took off. It was expensive and unpleasant to ride in. This vehicle, scrambling the chicken and egg together, was appropriately called the Mixte.