WASHINGTON, D.C. – There have been a number of aspects working against the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States. One of those issues involves the concept of “range anxiety,” which is a driver’s fear that their EV has insufficient electric charge remaining to cover the road distance needed to reach either its intended destination or a battery charger, resulting in the vehicle exhausting its power and stranding its occupants.
Recognizing this as a significant hurdle to EV adoption, the federal government has announced they plan to greatly boost funding to widening the scope of public electric vehicle networks in the country in order to increase the number of chargers available to 500,000 by the year 2030.
To that end, The Biden Administration has confirmed they will be making $623 million in grants available that will go towards building chargers in both communities around the country as well as on major interstate roadways, as well as other areas where EV drivers would benefit from their presence.
Currently, according to the Department of Energy, there are approximately 140,000 EV charging ports in the country, with 90 percent of those being public.
The grants in question – which will come courtesy of a $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program – will be responsible for funding 47 charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, according to the Biden Admin, in addition to building approximately 7,500 EV charging stations.
In addition to EV charging stations, a portion of the grant money will be allocated to hydrogen-fueling stations servicing multi-family housing, schools, parks, and other publicly funded sites in rural and urban communities. The remainder of the grants will go towards EV charging projects – including Level 3 fast-chargers and Level 2 chargers – in high-need, under-serviced areas in order to provide easier access to travelers, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
This funding will help ensure that EV chargers are accessible, reliable, and convenient for American drivers, while creating jobs in charger manufacturing, installation, and maintenance for American workers,” he said.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.