The Biden administration announced final new rules shaping the electric vehicle (EV) landscape Wednesday, with a $7.4 billion investment in EV charging, while EV maker Tesla is opening up proprietary charging stations to all.
Hydrogen might be referring to internal combustion engine cars running on hydrogen, an alternative to the electrical motor.
Companies like Tesla and EVgo will try to get their share of the $7.4 billion funding that will be given to local and state governments.
Tesla has agreed to make some of their charging facilities open to all drivers, making 7,500 chargers available for all EVs by the end of 2024. The chargers will be accessible through the Tesla mobile app or website.
In addition, Tesla will “more than double its full nationwide network of superchargers, manufactured in Buffalo, New York.”
A recent survey of EV users reported frustration with chargers that are too slow, too crowded, or that just don’t work, according to the press release.
“No matter what EV you drive, we want to make sure that you will be able to plug in, know the price you’re going to be paying, and charge up in a predictable, user-friendly experience,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters in a preview of the rules.
“The program will make available more than $2.5 billion over five years—including $700 million in funding through the first round of funding available to states, localities, Tribes, territories, and public authorities—to deploy publicly accessible charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in communities across the country, including at schools, grocery stores, parks, libraries, apartment complexes, and everywhere else Americans live and work,” the release says.
The Biden administration’s plan aims for EV chargers purchased through its program to be “assembled in the United States,” according to its “Build America, Buy America Act” requirements.
“By July 2024, at least 55 percent of the cost of all components will need to be manufactured domestically as well,” the release says.
However, the Department of Transportation requested a waiver for EV charging stations and initially proposed that at least 25 percent of the chargers’ overall cost come from American-made components starting in July of this year and then 55 percent by Jan. 1, 2024.
EV chargers require iron and steel for some of their most crucial parts, including the internal structural frame, heating and cooling fans, and the power transformer. Chargers with cabinets that house the product require even more steel, making up to 50 percent of the total cost of the chargers in some cases.
Global demand for EV chargers is putting strain on the supply chain that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to meet the “Build America” standards and expedite construction of new chargers, states and companies warned in comments to the Department of Transportation.
