The Biden administration is taking steps to ensure that any EV driver may utilize the 500,000 new charging stations it has committed to rolling out by 2030.
On Wednesday, the Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Energy published new requirements for new charging stations receiving federal funding, including that they must be compatible with all car brands.
According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a DOT press release, this is a significant step towards a future in which every EV user will be able to locate secure, dependable charging stations wherever in the nation. In order for recharging an EV away from home to be as dependable and accessible as filling up a gas tank, we are defining standardized, global standards for EV charging stations similar to those for gas stations.
According to The Hill, White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu warned reporters on Tuesday that Tesla in particular would be impacted by the rules. According to The Washington Post, Tesla presently has a nationwide U.S. charging network that is more than twice as large as the network operated by its nearest competitor.
Nevertheless, Landrieu remarked, as quoted in The Hill, “the White House wants a nationwide charging network that will operate for everyone, everywhere, regardless of what type of car they drive or what state they’re in.”
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According to The Washington Post, the Biden administration successfully pressed Tesla to make some of its network accessible to non-Tesla drivers. The White House also said on Wednesday that by 2024, all EV drivers would have access to at least 7,500 of the chargers in Tesla’s U.S. Supercharger and Destination Charger network. Of this total, at least 3,500 will be 250-kilowatt Superchargers installed beside highways.
We need to make sure that every driver can use every charger when we’re constructing our EV charging network, Biden remarked on Twitter. To that aim, Elon Musk plans to make a significant portion of the Tesla network accessible to all drivers. That is significant and will have a significant impact.
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Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, replied in a tweet, “Thank you, Tesla is pleased to promote other EVs via our Supercharger network.
According to Politico, Tesla will now be eligible for federal funding under the new guidelines in exchange for giving up about half of its U.S. network.
In addition to the universality requirement, the EV charger standards unveiled on Wednesday required chargers to be 97% reliable, have uniform plug types, power levels, and numbers, be easily searchable on maps for locations, prices, and availability, and be reachable via a single mode of identification.
A strategy to comply with the Build America, Buy America Act to guarantee that all charges funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation are made in the United States was also disclosed by the administration on Wednesday. This was done through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
As a result, starting immediately, both the final assembly of the chargers and the building of iron or steel enclosures or housing must take place in the United States. By 2024, all components must cost at least 55 percent less and be manufactured in the United States.
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The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers applauded this news (IBEW).
Great news for the environment, the working class, and our economy! Union members tweeted.
The moves are intended to advance Biden’s objective of reaching 50% EV sales by 2030.
