Biden Touts Electric Vehicles as His Administration Takes Steps To Advance Their Adoption
EVs are key to the goals to combat global climate change
President Biden trumpeted his administration's efforts to bolster the furtherance of US infrastructure for electric vehicles, as his government took several concrete steps in that direction.
Biden heralded the build-out of new charging stations to support the travel of electric vehicles (EVs), which is one of his key goals to reduce carbon emissions and combat global climate change.
“You know, this is going to have a major impact on the environment, what we’re doing, specifically reducing carbon in the areas we began to move these 500,000 charging stations around the world -- I mean around the country,” he said in remarks about the US economy made Wednesday in Maryland. “And ultimately, it's going to take millions of barrels of oil off the road.”
The bipartisan infrastructure plan which Biden helped shepherd into law, will invest $7.5 billion in EV charging, $10 billion in clean transportation, and over $7 billion in EV battery components, critical minerals, and materials.
These programs complement the Inflation Reduction Act’s landmark support for advanced batteries and new and expanded tax credits for purchases of EVs and to support installations of charging infrastructure, as well as dozens of other federal initiatives designed to drive domestic manufacturing and build a national network of EV charging, according to the White House.
The president Wednesday compared the development of EV charging infrastructure, to that of the build-out of gasoline fueling stations nationwide more than a century ago.
“Look, my Grandfather Biden, he went to work for a guy who was building gas stations, American oil company, back in the early 1900s. And that’s how we got to Scranton. He started off in Baltimore, then went to New York and then went to Wilmington, because people said, ‘Wait a minute, I’m not sure we want to put those thousand-gallon drums on the ground here in my neighborhood.’ But every gas station that got built, what happens? All of a sudden, you have a fast food store nearby. All of a sudden, you build the community,” Biden said. “Well, what we’re doing with these charging stations is the same thing my grandpop did. I’m not joking.
“Think about it. You’re building communities, little tiny communities. It builds the region and takes care of things. So, this is incredible. And it’s good for the growth as well,” he added. “Like I said, any charging station installed in the United States of America, guess what? It’s going to have to be made in America, the product.”
The White House released a fact sheet Wednesday, highlighting specific actions that the administration was announcing to spur EVs and EV charging infrastructure, which included:
The Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Department of Energy, finalized new standards to make charging EVs convenient and reliable for all Americans, including when driving long distances. The new standards will ensure everyone can use the network – no matter what car you drive or which state you charge in. The standards also require strong workforce standards;
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) outlined its final plan for compliance with the Build America, Buy America Act for federally funded EV chargers. Effective immediately, all EV chargers funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law must be built in the United States. The plan requires that, effective immediately, final assembly and all manufacturing processes for any iron or steel charger enclosures or housing occur in the United States. By July 2024, at least 55 percent of the cost of all components will need to be manufactured domestically as well;
The new Joint Office of Energy and Transportation released a notice of intent to issue a funding opportunity for its Ride and Drive Electric research and development program. This program will advance the goal of building a national network of EV chargers for all Americans by supporting EV charging reliability, resiliency, equity, and workforce development;
The Department of Energy announced $7.4 million in funding for seven projects to develop innovative medium-and heavy-duty EV charging and hydrogen corridor infrastructure plans serving millions of Americans across 23 states;
FHWA announced details for its soon-to-launch Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) discretionary grant program. The program will make available more than $2.5 billion over five years – including $700 million in funding through the first round of funding available to states, localities, Tribes, territories, and public authorities – to deploy publicly accessible charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in communities across the country, including at schools, grocery stores, parks, libraries, apartment complexes, and everywhere else Americans live and work; and,
The administration highlighted major manufacturing and other new facilities spurred by these investments and the administration’s “Made in America” policies, including new commitments from domestic EV charging manufacturers and network operators.
These announcements build on the well more $100 billion that the private sector has invested in electric vehicle, battery, and EV charging manufacturing in the United States to date, according to the White House.
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