The map tells a clear story: charging infrastructure follows population density almost exactly. Of 3,976 stations (12,951 ports total — 8,235 L2, 4,647 DCFC), Austin alone has 706, Houston 424, Dallas 272, San Antonio 222, and Fort Worth 125. Meanwhile 47 counties have zero DCFC and 237 census tracts have no station within 25 miles. Average distance to the nearest DCFC in underserved tracts: 37.6 miles.
Model A uses a population/traffic screening formula to identify underserved census tracts across all 6,896 tracts in the state. It scores each one and ranks the top candidates for new stations. The results are revealing.
Model A puts 73% of its picks in urban cores where 80% of residents charge at home. Austin (706 existing stations) gets more picks than the entire Rio Grande Valley. Houston and Dallas dominate despite already having 424 and 272 stations respectively. Meanwhile Maverick County, rural West Texas, and the I-10 corridor between San Antonio and El Paso — where 89.7 GWh/year of demand goes unserved — barely register.
The problem is structural: the formula weights population and traffic heavily. Dense urban tracts score high because lots of people live there — but 80% of urban residents charge at home. The people who actually need public chargers are road-trippers and rural commuters in those 237 uncovered tracts, and they barely register in the scoring model.
Model A: Population/traffic screening using 6,896 real Census tracts, 41,467 TxDOT AADT stations, and 3,976 AFDC station locations. 810 DCFC locations, 12,951 total ports.