Despite a massive cash investment and the government’s push to build more charging stations, the United States’ EV infrastructure needs more work. President Biden’s team aims to improve the situation with even more funding, to the tune of $521 million.
The funds will go to 30 states with a goal of building more chargers in underserved locations. The White House said that there are now more than 192,000 public charging points in the country, almost double the number in 2021, and noted that around 1,000 new chargers come online every week.
Biden promised to build half a million new chargers by 2030, with $7.5 billion in funding coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Even so, progress has been excruciatingly slow. Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that the administration’s push had only delivered seven charging stations with 38 plugs.
Funds will be used differently depending on the state, with some areas focusing on building out rural charging infrastructure and installing chargers at multi-unit homes like apartments and condos. California will get $102 million to build a network of chargers and hydrogen fueling stations along commercial freight lines, and Maryland will see $33 million to build chargers in “disadvantaged communities.”
It's easy to bellyache about tax dollars funding something that many people don’t care about or like, but the fact is that the country’s underdeveloped charging network remains a significant hurdle for many people. The lack of charging options for apartment dwellers and people living in sparsely populated regions makes EV ownership difficult or even impossible in some cases, so an improvement in the charging situation will make it possible to get more people behind the wheel of an EV.
[Images: Mark Youso, woodsnorthphoto, Around the World Photos via Shutterstock]
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