The Biden administration said Thursday it would require states to submit proposals to provide highways with chargers for electric vehicles as part of a $5 billion plan to fill an infrastructure gap needed to support the economy. booming sales of battery-powered cars.
Electric vehicles have become hugely popular, accounting for nearly 9 percent of new cars sold worldwide last year. But America is lagging behind Europe in the number of places a battery-powered vehicle owner can charge.
On Thursday, government officials explained how they plan to tackle the deficit using $5 billion allocated by Congress as part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden in November.
That money, to be spent in five years’ time, won’t be nearly enough to build the charging network experts say is needed to service the growing fleet of electric vehicles. But government officials hope the plan will act as a catalyst, encouraging utilities and private operators to build additional chargers.
The government outlined a relatively quick timetable for deploying a $615 million first tranche. All 50 states, as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, are expected to submit plans by early August explaining how to install high-voltage chargers along or very close to major highways.
The chargers should be no more than 50 miles apart, and states are encouraged to place them in rest areas or other places with food and other services. Federal officials must decide whether to approve the states’ plans by the end of September.
Later, the government plans to spend an additional $2.5 billion on chargers in rural areas or other communities where private sector operators may be less inclined to invest.
The money “will help us win the EV race by partnering with states, workers and the private sector to establish a historic nationwide charging network that makes EV charging accessible to more Americans,” said the Transportation Secretary. Pete Buttigieg in a statement.
Government officials billed the interstate charging plan as a way to create jobs for electricians and other workers. Mr Biden has portrayed the move to electric vehicles as part of his effort to revive manufacturing in the United States. One fear is that because electric vehicles require far fewer workers to build, they could lead to job losses at automakers and suppliers.
On Tuesday, Mr. Biden appeared at the White House with Jane Hunter, the chief executive of Tritium, an Australian charging equipment manufacturer that announced plans to build a factory in Lebanon, Tennessee, which would employ 500 people.
“We are seeing the beginning of a comeback in US manufacturing,” Biden said at the event.