This post was originally published on this site
The Biden administration is set to release a plan on Monday it thinks can help “fast track” the uptake of electric-vehicle use in the U.S. by building 500,000 charging stations across the country.
Vice President Kamala Harris will make the announcement at a government facility in Maryland, extending the Biden team’s news last week that it will push for greener energy throughout federal buildings and in vehicle fleets.
The announcement is part of the $1 trillion infrastructure law Biden signed last month, which authorizes the charging stations and sets aside $5 billion for states, with a goal to build a national charging network. The law also provides an additional $2.5 billion for local grants to support charging stations in rural areas and in disadvantaged communities.
The administration has set an ambitious target of 50% of electric vehicle sale shares in the U.S. by 2030, but fast and reliable charging remains a key wrinkle.
Right now, the U.S. market share of plug-in EV sales is one-third the size of the Chinese EV market. China is one of the U.S.’s primary rivals on trade, including in the renewable-energy space as world leaders take steps to slow global warming.
The EV-charging move is also part of Biden’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050, a target largely in line with other major nations.
The new EV charging strategy establishes a joint electric vehicles office between the federal Energy and Transportation departments; issues guidance and standards for states; and ensures consultations with manufacturers, state and local governments, environmental justice and civil rights groups, tribes and others.
