White House proposes new standards for EV charging infrastructure

The White House announced new steps to meet President Biden's goal to build 500,000 electric vehicle EV chargers along America's highways and rural communities.

The White House said in a statement that the Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Department of Energy, is proposing new standards to make charging electric vehicles EVs more convenient, reliable, and affordable for all Americans, including when driving long distances.

This is part of the $7.5 billion earmarked for EV charging infrastructure in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The money is broken down into two big chunks - $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure NEVI program for states to build out charging infrastructure along highway corridors, and $2.5 billion for local grants to support community and corridor charging, improve local air quality, and increase EV charging access for rural and underserved communities. Applications will be accepted by the Department of Transportation later this year.

The proposed rules were outlined in conjunction with a new NPRM notice of proposed rule making, which allows for public comment on the draft regulation. The national charging network requires EV charging stations every 50 miles on the national highway system, with each location no more than one mile from the highway. For example, the stations would need at least four DC fast-charging ports per station, as well as standard AC charging ports.

The charging stations would have to provide real-time information on pricing and availability at each location, as well as status on operation state. The proposed rule calls for the software platforms used by the EV charging stations to be standardized across the entire system, as well as network connectivity in order to monitor the stations across the network.

The White House and the federal government are trying to tamp down the effect of higher gas prices across the country. Biden believes that the transition to EVs will help promote energy independence and reduce the effects of climate change.

Both the Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigeig were in a call with reporters last night to talk about the plan, highlighting its importance to Biden's domestic policy agenda.

Granholm said that if we are going to build out infrastructure like we haven't done since the Eisenhower era, we have to do it right.

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