New Standards Proposed For National Electric Vehicle Charging Network
The Biden Administration announced new steps to build out the first ever national network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers along the United States’ highways and in communities, a key piece of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Department of Energy, is proposing new standards to make charging electric vehicles (EVs) a convenient, reliable, and affordable for all Americans, including when driving long distances. “The new standards will ensure everyone can use the network -no matter what car you drive or which state you charge in, ” the White House said.
President Biden is pressing Congress on his plan to provide tax credits that make EVs more affordable, so families’ budgets aren’t hurt by volatile gas prices. The actions are expected spur good-paying jobs with strong workforce requirements for steelworkers, electrical workers, and laborers to build, install, and maintain the network. Making chargers and EVs more accessible will help tackle the climate crisis – reducing emissions, increasing cleaner air, and advancing the President’s Justice40 Initiative, according to the White House.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program will provide $5 billion in formula funding to States to build out charging infrastructure along highway corridors – filling gaps in rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach locations.
A second program provides $2.5 billion in competitive grants to support community and corridor charging, improve local air quality, and increase EV charging access in underserved and overburdened communities. The Department of Transportation will open applications for this program later this year.
Additionally, the government announced actions from nine federal agencies across the charging ecosystem to complement the NEVI program – creating good-paying jobs in the U.S., reducing emissions, and putting the country on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050.
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation will form a Federal Advisory Committee called the EV Working Group that will be a key advisory body to “make recommendations regarding the development, adoption, and integration of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty electric vehicles into the transportation and energy systems of the United States”. The 25 members will be selected in the coming months.
The joint office also announced a partnership to support EV charging with the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The Department of Energy announced $45 million through its “EVs4ALL” program to develop very fast charging batteries to complement the rollout of the public charging network.
The General Services Administration created Blanket Purchase Agreements for federal agencies and other eligible users to seamlessly acquire an array of EV chargers and services at federally owned, managed, and occupied facilities.
The Environmental Protection Agency created a Clean School Bus Program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace the nation’s fleet of dirty diesel buses, with clean, American-made, zero-emission buses.
The Department of Defense launched a pilot project to install 20 Level 2 EV chargers for government fleet vehicles at the Pentagon.
Later this month, the Department of Commerce will host a summit to promote foreign direct investment in American EV charging and supply equipment manufacturing.
EV sales have doubled since Biden took office, and currently there are more than two million EVs and 100,000 chargers on the road.
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