Washington D.C. – The Biden-Harris Administration has announced a new set of actions aimed at creating a Made-in-America electric vehicle (EV) charging network to enable the electrification of the great American road trip. The goal is to build a national network of 500,000 EV chargers along America’s highways and in communities and to have EVs make up at least 50% of new car sales by 2030. These actions are aimed at meeting President Biden’s ambitious goals to address the climate crisis and to create good-paying manufacturing and installation jobs.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $7.5 billion in EV charging, $10 billion in clean transportation, and over $7 billion in EV battery components, critical minerals, and materials. The law also includes new and expanded tax credits for EV purchases and to support charging infrastructure installations. Private companies, including Tesla, General Motors, EVgo, Pilot, Hertz, and bp, are also announcing new commitments to expand their networks using private funds to complement federal dollars.
The Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy has finalized new standards to make charging EVs convenient and reliable for all Americans, including when driving long distances. The Federal Highway Administration has also outlined its plan for compliance with the Build America, Buy America Act for federally funded EV chargers. Additionally, the new Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has released a notice of intent to issue a funding opportunity for its Ride and Drive Electric research and development program.
To ensure ready access to charging and to spur good manufacturing jobs at home, President Biden has publicly committed to building out a convenient, reliable, and user-friendly national network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030. In support of this vision, the Department of Transportation announced the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, a $5 billion initiative to create a coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle chargers focused on major highways that support the majority of long-distance trips.
To ensure that charging is as easy as filling up at a gas station, the Federal Highway Administration has unveiled new national standards for federally funded EV chargers, including NEVI-funded chargers. These standards will direct federal dollars to build out a national EV charging network that is user-friendly, reliable, and accessible. The standards will ensure that charging is a predictable and reliable experience, chargers are working when drivers need them to, drivers can easily find a charger, and chargers will support drivers’ needs well into the future. Additionally, the standards will ensure that these historic investments in EV charging create good-paying jobs and that EV chargers are well-serviced by requiring strong workforce standards.
