US EV charging network receives $2.5 billion in support from Biden administration

The Biden administration will open up access to $2.5 billion in additional federal funding as part of its push to cut back on the auto industry, allowing for a very large electric vehicle charging network across the United States, especially in low-income and rural areas. Fulfilling our promise to build. carbon emissions.

Created by the bipartisan Infrastructure Act and running for five years, the Department of Transportation’s new charging and fueling infrastructure grant program is part of efforts to open 500,000 new EV charging stations nationwide. This includes $700 million available in fiscal 2022 and 2023 to run chargers and alternative fuel stations (including hydrogen) in urban and rural areas. Christopher Coes, the DOT’s undersecretary for transportation policy, said there is a particular focus on building public chargers in underserved areas.

“All Americans, no matter where they live, should have the opportunity to benefit from the lower operating costs, reduced maintenance needs, and improved performance that EVs can offer,” Coes told reporters. told to “Achieving long-term climate and equity goals requires equitable deployment of EV infrastructure.”

The new funding will add to the $5 billion already allocated for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to build chargers and clean fuel stations on federal and state highways and roads. The new grant aims to complement and fill gaps in charging infrastructure, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Electric car and truck sales in the US will exceed 5% of new car sales for the first time in 2022, driven by demand for Tesla’s eponymous battery model. With dozens of new vehicles, crossovers and pickups launched by both auto industry giants and upstarts, the lack of a ubiquitous public charging infrastructure remains a concern for many potential customers. New charging stations must also meet “Made In America” content requirements to qualify for federal funding.

Tesla currently operates the nation’s largest network of charging stations and recently agreed to open 7,500 of them to non-Tesla customers to receive access to federal funding.