Biden wants more vehicles on the roads. What about charging stations?

Last week, the President Biden brought together the directors of the three largest automakers in the United States—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (which makes Fiat-Chrysler vehicles) —in the White House. Biden managed to drive an electric Jeep happily for this. More importantly, the three companies jointly agreed that at least 40% of the vehicles they sell by the end of the decade would be emission-free.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Congress was busy making it easier to meet that high goal. Bilateral infrastructure bills, the details of which are not final, would allocate $ 7.5 trillion to strengthen the nation’s network electric vehicle charging stations. Experts say the money is needed if the US wants to put barriers in its carbon emissions and theirs increasingly frightening effects on the planet. Twenty-nine percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, and more than half of them come from light vehicles, for example.

A lot of things need to be put in place if the US is to meet its 2030 White House electric vehicle targets. Last year, about 2% of cars sold in the U.S. were electric, nearly half of them Californian, that is, sales will have to increase 20 times. However, this means that by 2030 about 10-11% of cars on the road would be electric.

Sufficient load infrastructure will not be the only obstacle to achieving the goal. Motorists will have to keep their promises to offer more EVs at lower prices. Public services will have to bear the additional burden of feeding transportation at a price that people can afford. Americans will have to get used to the idea of ​​leaving the cars they have always known.

But creating more charging stations, and especially ones that are more accessible to the public, is a “holy grail,” says Mike Nicholas, who studies electric vehicles at the international board of the nonprofit research organization. A final analysis According to Nicholas and his colleagues, the country needs 2.4 million public and workplace chargers by 2030 if it is to meet its targets. It currently has 216,000.

Biden initially asked for $ 15 billion, and the White House said it would provide 500,000 chargers. Congress cut the proposal in half, which is estimated to be enough money for 250,000 fast chargers; if the money is used for more expensive chargers, it could be funded more. Considering the charging stations that private industry can build, “it wouldn’t cover everything, but it’s a good start,” Nicholas says.

Here’s the fun thing: Most electric vehicles, especially at the beginning of the transition, will probably be charged at home, away from public gas station-like fast chargers. Charging at home will be slower, and you’ll probably need an entire night to recharge your battery. For two-thirds of Americans living in single-family homes, with their garages and highways, it might be okay. They are ready to come home from work, connect the car and leave the next day. This is especially true right now, when electric vehicle owners have higher incomes, better education, more than one vehicle, and live in single-family homes.

But research shows that people with high chances of charging at home feel nervous about the lack of public charging infrastructure, even though they don’t need it so often. Today’s most popular electric vehicles have a range of 250 kilometers. What if potential owners ask if they have to do 300 miles a day? What kind of chargers are there to help then?

On the one hand, I find it a silly concern. The average daily commute is less than 40 miles, and an EV would easily handle it. But drivers want to know that they won’t be stuck, especially if, for example, someone has to get to the hospital and they forget to plug in their car last night.