President Biden is rolling out a huge $7.5 billion project to ramp up electric vehicle (EV) facilities across the U.S., despite some objections from Republican politicians. The plan includes spending $623 million on grants to add 7,500 new EV charging stations.
This money is a slice of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. Under this program, the Federal Highway Administration gets $2.5 billion over five years for setting up EV and hydrogen fuel stations in local areas and along major highways. They’re also focusing on hydrogen fuel paths for big trucks carrying goods.
Around $311 million of the grant is for 36 community projects, covering two Native American Tribes in Alaska and Arizona. This part of the fund will help build EV and hydrogen charging spots at places like libraries, schools, and parks. The other $312 million is for projects along roads marked as Alternative Fuel Corridors. This aims to cover areas that don’t have many charging stations. The effort spans 22 states and Puerto Rico and will create about 7,500 charging ports.
The project includes Level 2 charging stations for local areas and faster Level 3 stations along highways.
Puerto Rico gets $51 million to set up chargers on its main roads. Arizona will use $12 million for 48 electric chargers suitable for different vehicle sizes, e-bike and e-scooter charging docks, and solar panels for power at these sites.
In Texas, $70 million is allocated for five hydrogen fuel stations for big trucks in the largest Texas cities. This will also help create a hydrogen route from southern California to Texas. California will see 10 projects funded, and Washington will have four projects with $26.6 million. A full list of the projects is available here.
The Biden administration sees this as key to developing a reliable, affordable, and American-made network of EV chargers. They aim for 500,000 public chargers by 2030 and expect to create new jobs through this initiative.
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“America led the arrival of the automotive era, and now we have a chance to lead the world in the EV revolution – securing jobs, savings, and benefits for Americans in the process,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
“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.”
President Biden is strongly pushing for Americans to switch to electric vehicles (EVs) as a key part of his policies. Since he took office, there have been significant increases in EV usage. According to a recent press release, EV sales in the U.S. have multiplied by four times, and the number of public charging stations has grown by nearly 70%. Now, over 4 million EVs are being used on U.S. roads, and the aim is to make half of all car sales electric by 2030.
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This push is crucial for getting more EVs on the road, especially as the need for reliable charging stations grows. While the increase in charging spots won’t be the only factor to convince Americans to switch from gas-powered cars to EVs, especially with fluctuating gas prices, having a wide network of charging stations is essential for this transition.
