States face additional challenges with permitting approvals and power infrastructure, as each charging spot requires electricity equivalent to 20 homes.President Biden's commitment to establish 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the United States by 2030 seems to be a far-sight promise.
Despite Congress allocating USD 7.5 billion for this initiative, only 8 EV charging stations are currently operational across four states. This slow progress could potentially hinder the adoption of electric vehicles, particularly as new emissions regulations require increased electric and hybrid vehicle usage.
An old interview of US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is going viral where he tried to defend the disaster, saying it would take a while to hit their goal of 500,000 chargers.
When the reporter claimed that since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed in 2021, there are only 7-8 EV charging stations, Buttigieg said, "So the President's goal is to have half a million chargers up by the end of this decade. Now, in order to do a charger, it's more than just plunking a small device into the ground. There's utility work. And this is also really a new category of federal investment. But we've been working with each of the 50 states. Every one of them is getting ... dollars to do this work... Again, by 2030, 500,000 chargers and the very first handful of chargers are now already being physically built."
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed in November 2021, allocated USD 7.5 billion for EV charging, with USD 5 billion designated to states for developing fast chargers along major highways through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) programme, according to The Washington Post.
Two years later, only seven operational charging stations with 38 charging spots exist, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The funding should support up to 20,000 charging spots or approximately 5,000 stations, based on Atlas Public Policy's analysis. Currently, stations operate in Hawaii, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with construction ongoing in four additional states.
Whilst twelve states have awarded construction contracts, 17 states haven't yet issued proposals. Republican Representatives recently questioned the Biden administration about the delayed rollout, expressing concerns about taxpayer money management and highlighting issues with charger delivery, labour requirements, and operating standards.
Atlas Public Policy founder Nick Nigro attributes some delays to state transportation agencies' inexperience with EV charging infrastructure. He anticipates faster progress in 2024 as administrative processes conclude.
The Federal Highway Administration emphasises their commitment to building a quality national charging network, whilst the White House reports growing public charging infrastructure and projects reaching the 500,000-station goal by 2026.
The new chargers must meet stringent standards, including 97% operational reliability and 150kW power output. Currently, the US has approximately 10,000 fast charging stations, including over 2,000 Tesla Superchargers, known for superior reliability compared to other systems, reported the Washington Post.
States face additional challenges with permitting approvals and power infrastructure, as each charging spot requires electricity equivalent to 20 homes.
Whilst private companies continue developing charging networks, including Level 2 chargers, the NEVI programme would boost national fast charging capacity by 50%. However, state implementation remains slower than anticipated.
