DOT proposes standards for national EV charging network
The primary complaint keeping Americans from switching their gas guzzlers to an environmentally friendly electric vehicle (EV), especially in times of dizzying $5.00-a-gallon gas, is the lack of charging stations to keep their vehicles humming down the highway and around town. Consumers have said they are fearful they will not be able to keep their vehicle juiced up enough to make it to their destination.
The Biden administration Thursday launched a proposed rulemaking process that will create a unified set of standards for its plan to build out a national network of some 500,000 EV chargers under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Comments will be accepted by the Federal Highway Administration for 60 days after the rulemaking notice is published in the Federal Register sometime next week.
“To support the transition to electric vehicles, we must build a national charging network that makes finding a charge as easy as filling up at a gas station,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These new ground rules will help create a network of EV chargers across the country that are convenient, affordable, reliable and accessible for all Americans.”
The proposed requirements will help states as they develop their individual EV deployment plans in concert with the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will provide direct technical assistance and support to help states navigate the nearly $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.
“We’re tackling range anxiety and vehicle-charging deserts by making sure that charging stations are easily and equally accessible, allowing every American to get from coast to coast in an electric vehicle,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
The expansive rules would cover requirements including installation and maintenance of the chargers, signage and location of the facilities, workforce development and unified software. The current plan would also standardize real-time communications with consumers that will inform them of prices and charger availability at individual locations.
At a briefing for reporters, Buttigieg said charging stations built with the $5 billion in federal funding would have to serve all brands of EVs with minimum charging-speed requirements and payment systems that are easy to use. It would bar requiring motorist subscriptions.
Meanwhile, electric companies are investing more than $3.4 billion to deploy charging infrastructure and accelerate electric transportation. The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) estimates that more than 100,000 EV fast charging ports will be needed to support the nearly 22 million EVs projected to be on U.S. roads in 2030. EV drivers currently spend the equivalent of about $1.20 per gallon, based on average residential electric rates.
Last year EEI and its member electric companies launched the National Electric Highway Coalition as a forum to bring together the power and auto industries with charger manufacturers to promote a nationwide charging network along major U.S. travel corridors that will keep pace with the anticipated expansion of the EV fleet. The coalition consists of more than 60 investor-owned and municipal electric companies and electric cooperatives.
In addition, car rental agencies have in recent years started offering EVs to their customers, which will give them the opportunity to try one out and possibly convince them to consider such vehicles when they buy their next car.
