‘Pathetic’: Only seven electric vehicle charging sites deployed so far under $5 billion federal program
Shailen Bhatt, administrator of Federal Highway Administration, testified before the Senate on Wednesday. (AP)
WASHINGTON – Just seven electric vehicle (EV) charging stations began operating with funding from a $5 billion U.S. government program established in 2021, marking “disastrous” progress. one Democratic senator said Wednesday.
Automakers and others say a drastic expansion of electric vehicle charging stations is critical for widespread deployment. tramis part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions emissions.
The seven EV charging stations deployed so far under the 2021 U.S. program include a total of several dozen charging ports, said Shailen Bhatt, head of the Federal Highway Administration.FHWA), at a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee.
“It’s pathetic,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley. We’ve been through three years of this. … It was a serious administrative failure.” “Something is very wrong and it needs to be fixed.”
He also criticized the fact that electric vehicle charging stations cannot be deployed at stops under current federal highway regulations.
Bhatt said he’s also frustrated with the slow rollout and said the agency is working with states on their electric vehicle deployment plans charger. “There are a number of issues,” Bhatt said, noting that states are juggling multiple programs.
EPW Senate Committee Chairman Tom CarPer said he is considering holding a hearing on the slow rollout of electric vehicle charging. “We want to make sure that the federal dollars we allocate are being used for the right purposes,” Careach person said.
Republican lawmakers in February raised concerns about the implementation of the electric vehicle program and said there was “little progress.”
The White House’s goal is to grow a nationwide network of charging stations to 500,000 ports, including high-speed charging stations – spaced no more than 50 miles (80 km) apart – on the busiest highways nation.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told Reuters on Tuesday that 27 states have made commercial requests to build charging stations, and she expected about 1,000 EV charging stations in public places to be operational by the end of the year. now under a federal government program.
“These are the hardest things to do,” Granholm said, adding that some areas where charging stations will be deployed still don’t have power.
As of December, the United States had 183,000 public charging ports, and since the start of the Biden administration, the number of public fast charging ports has increased 90%, Bhatt said. Target 500,000 charging ports.
