The White House has announced that the Biden-Harris administration — in an effort to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers — will be taking action to increase availability of EVs and EV chargers.
The Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Department of Energy, is proposing new standards to make charging EVs convenient, reliable and affordable for all Americans, including when driving long distances. Without strong standards, chargers would be less reliable, may not work for all cars or lack common payment methods. The new standards are meant to ensure everyone can use the network — no matter what car is being driven or which state it needs to be charged in.
According to the White House, the proposed standards, along with new coordinated federal actions on EVs, support President’s Biden’s priorities to lower costs for families, create good-paying jobs and combat climate change. He is pressing Congress on his plan to provide tax credits that make EVs more affordable, a possible alternative to paying volatile gas prices. The actions can create jobs for America’s steelworkers, electrical workers and laborers to build, install and maintain the network.
EV sales have doubled since President Biden took office, and there are now more than 2 million EVs and 100,000 chargers on the road. The administration has also secured historic investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, raising $7.5 billion for EV charging infrastructure and more than $7 billion for the critical minerals supply chains necessary for batteries, components, materials and recycling.
President Biden’s ambitious target is for 50% of new vehicles sold in 2030 to be electric.
