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White House details push to make electric vehicle chargers ‘ubiquitous’

The administration’s goal is to spur the installation of 500,000 chargers

December 13, 2021 at 11:35 a.m. EST
A worker prepares Ford's electric Mustang Mach-E. (Michaela Rehle/Reuters)
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The White House on Monday detailed elements of a multibillion-dollar plan to make electric vehicle charging “ubiquitous,” saying a host of new and continuing efforts will help to spur a national network that will put special emphasis on disadvantaged and rural areas.

As automakers shift toward building more cars that run on electricity rather than gasoline, some traditional divisions between federal departments are becoming increasingly outmoded.

As part of a broader effort to help reduce emissions, the White House announced the creation of a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. The office is a shared effort by the departments of Transportation and Energy that federal officials said would create a “one-stop-shop” to help smooth the rollout and management of electric vehicle and other initiatives in the infrastructure law passed last month.

The administration’s goal is to spur the installation of 500,000 chargers. Vice President Harris and other administration officials were to outline the initiatives Monday.

A White House announcement said it would hold meetings with state and local governments, U.S. manufacturers and environmental and civil rights groups to help guide the work. The departments of Transportation and Energy are also launching an Advisory Committee on Electric Vehicles, with members to be in place by the end of March.

Monday’s announcements reflect the breadth of efforts that officials say will be part of the push for electric vehicle growth in the United States. At issue are concerns over supply chains for critical materials used for batteries — which are largely imported — a dynamic officials hope will shift in coming years.

By February, the Department of Transportation will publish guidance for cities and states to “strategically deploy” a network of charging stations along the national highway system, the White House said.

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The guidance will “look at where we already have EV charging and where we need — or will need — more of it,” the White House said in a statement. It will focus on needs of disadvantaged and rural communities, and also “catalyze further private investment in EV charging, and ensure we’re smartly connecting to our electric grid,” according to the statement.

By mid-May, Transportation Department officials will publish standards for EV chargers.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $5 billion that will flow to states for a national charging network. Ten percent of that money can be used by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for grants to states to “help fill gaps in the network,” the White House said.

Another $2.5 billion in competitive grants will go to communities and broader corridors to promote administration priorities, including strategies for using the charging network to help improve local air quality and to promote equity.