WHAT THEY ARE READING: Biden Administration Highlights $5B Investment in Electric Vehicle Charging

The Biden Administration made available today nearly $5 billion in funding to build out the country's first national network of electric vehicle chargers. The program will distribute funds over five years to help states create a network of charging stations, particularly along the Interstate Highway System. President Biden's historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making EV charging accessible and his Made in America policies are ensuring that the EV future is being built in America. That means good-paying, union jobs building electric vehicles and chargers.

To ensure a convenient, affordable, and equitable charging experience for all users, the newly established Joint Office of Energy and Transportation is focusing on making charging accessible in rural and underserved communities. The President made a commitment to deliver at least 40 percent of the benefits of climate investments to disadvantaged communities, and these investments deliver on that promise.

Today, an American family that chooses an EV will save up to $1,000 a year on fuel. That means direct savings to consumers, and critical reductions in emissions from America's largest source of climate pollution – transportation. National outlets highlighted these historic investments, their equitable distribution, and the savings they will bring to hard-working Americans.

Reuters: U.S. to detail $5-bln plan to fund EV charging network
[David Shepardson, 2/10/22]

The Biden administration on Thursday plans to detail how it will award nearly $5 billion over five years to build thousands of electric vehicle charging stations. Congress approved the funding to states as part of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill in November.

Associated Press: States get go-ahead to build electric car charging stations
[Hope Yen, 2/10/22]

Under Transportation Department requirements, states must submit plans to the federal government and can begin construction by this fall if they focus first on highway routes, rather than neighborhoods and shopping centers, that can allow people to take their electric vehicles long distances. Each station would need to have at least four fast-charger ports, which enable drivers to fully recharge their vehicles in about an hour … Buttigieg made a special appeal to rural drivers, suggesting that [...] "The reality is nobody benefits more from EVs in principle than those who drive the longest distances, often our rural Americans."

New York Times: The Biden administration outlines a plan to build a network of electric vehicle chargers.
[Jack Ewing, 2/10/22]

The Biden administration outlines a plan to build a network of electric vehicle chargers.
Using $5 billion that Congress allocated last year, the Biden administration would require states to install high-voltage chargers along interstate highways … "We're seeing the beginnings of an American manufacturing comeback," Mr. Biden said [on Tuesday].

Wall Street Journal: EV Charging Network Will Target Interstate Highways
[Timothy Puko, 2/10/22]

Stations will have to be installed every 50 miles, no more than one mile off the interstate, according to a guidance memo by the Federal Highway Administration … Administration officials said their goal is to accommodate a public that wants recharging stations to be just as easy to access as gas stations for traditional cars. That led them to focus on highway-side locales that would serve drivers using cars and trucks for long family trips, vacations or transporting goods, and stations that could recharge cars quickly.

Washington Post: Biden administration plan calls for $5 billion network of electric-vehicle chargers along interstates
[Ian Duncan, 2/10/22]

Officials say the federal funding is aimed at standardizing charging systems so drivers have an experience comparable to finding a gas station on a road trip. It is one of the most significant investments in the $1 trillion infrastructure law aimed at reducing carbon emissions from transportation and a steppingstone toward the administration's goal of having half of new cars be battery-powered or plug-in hybrids by 2030.

Axios: Biden moves to spend new EV charging cash
[Ben Geman, 2/10/22]

Biden officials open doors for states to access EV charging money in infrastructure law
The Biden administration just launched the process for states to tap $5 billion to build out EV charging on the nation's highway system. Why it matters: Transportation is the nation's largest source of carbon emissions. Charging growth is key to helping EVs move from a small — albeit growing — share of sales into becoming rivals for gas-powered cars and eventually replacing them in the market.

CNBC: White House rolls out $5 billion funding plan to states for electric vehicle chargers
[Emma Newburger, 2/10/22]

The Biden administration has touted EVs as more affordable for Americans than gas-powered cars and has pledged that half the vehicles sold in the U.S. will be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2030. The new guidance will help states build a network of EV charging stations along designated alternative fuel corridors on the national highway system, senior administration officials said during a press briefing Wednesday.

Yahoo Finance: White House details plan to make a 'truly national system' of EV charging stations
[Ben Werschkul, 2/10/22]

The newly enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law sets aside $7.5 billion to supercharge America's effort to build more EV charging stations … Two-thirds of the money, $5 billion, will go towards a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which is tasked with sending money to states to install charging stations. The remainder, $2.5 billion, will go towards a grant program that officials promise more detail on later in the year.

Bloomberg: EV Chargers Would Line U.S. Interstates Under $5 Billion Funding Plan
[Keith Lang, 2/10/22]

$2.5 billion will be doled out in competitive grants focused on rural and underserved communities, according to a joint announcement by the departments of Transportation and Energy … "We are modernizing America's national highway system for drivers in cities large and small, towns and rural communities, to take advantage of the benefits of driving electric," U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.

Business Insider: White House unveils $5 billion plan to blanket US highways with new electric-car chargers
[Tim Levin, 2/10/22]

Right now one of the glaring reasons not to own an electric car is the charging. Gas stations are a dime a dozen, but charging plugs in much of the country are few and far between. That may not be the case for long if President Joe Biden's plan comes to fruition … Biden aims for the US to have 500,000 public EV chargers by 2030, roughly 400,000 more plugs than are available today.

The Verge: Biden launches $5 billion plan to shore up national EV charging network
[Andrew Hawkins, 2/10/22]

"It's going to help ensure that America leads the world on electric vehicles," the president said during a speech earlier this week to promote American companies expanding EV infrastructure in the US … "Because America is building convenient, reliable, equitable national public charging networks. So wherever you live, charging an electric vehicle will be quick and easy." … Experts in urban policy and electrification have said that the money authorized for a nationwide network of EV chargers would have a measurable impact on Americans' car-buying choices.

Car and Driver: States to Get $5 Billion to Build a Massive EV Charging Station Network
[Laura Sky Brown, 2/10/22]

The feds want to emphasize that getting the charging stations from domestic suppliers is a priority in this program … [T]he White House said Siemens will expand its U.S. operations and plans to produce a million EV charging units by 2025. The DOT also said it intends for 40 percent of the funding to "flow" to underserved and rural areas to make sure they get their fair share of charging stations[.]