The $1 trillion infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed last week authorizes charging stations and allocates $5 billion to states with the goal of building a national network. Additionally, the law provides $2.5 billion in local grants for charging stations in rural and disadvantaged areas.
The White House released a statement saying that President Biden, American families and automakers agree on the future of transportation. “The future of electric cars is cleaner, more equitable and more affordable, which will allow for more union-paying jobs.
The White House stated that the United States would accelerate the adoption of electric cars for personal and commercial vehicles to achieve Biden’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while creating thousands of new jobs. The U.S. currently has a third of the market for plug-in electric vehicles, compared to the Chinese market.
Biden set the goal of electric cars and trucks accounting for half of all new vehicles sold by 2030.
Kamala Harris, Vice President of Kamala Harris, planned to announce Monday’s vehicle-charging strategy at an event in suburban Maryland.
Harris was scheduled to appear at Brandywine’s maintenance facility, just outside Washington. She will be briefed about the work being done to electrify Maryland’s fleet in Prince George’s County.
The new EV Charging Strategy establishes a joint office between the federal Energy and Transportation department; issues guidelines and standards for states; and facilitates consultations with manufacturers and state and local governments, civil rights groups, tribes, and environmental justice and civil right groups.
Officials hope to have an advisory committee for electric vehicles up and running by the end of next year.
Brandywine’s site has electric vehicle chargers. They are currently the only ones available in the area. The White House described them as filling a “key gap” in the region’s network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Harris will likely renew her appeal to Democrats to approve Biden’s $2 trillion environmental and social policy bill. It is currently pending in Senate. According to the White House, the bill, also known as the Build back Better Act, will reduce the price of new and used electric cars, among other benefits.
Republicans, including those who voted for the new infrastructure law have criticised Biden for being too preoccupied with electric vehicles technology while Americans are dealing with an increase in gasoline prices and natural gas prices.
Last month, Biden ordered 50 million barrels of oil from America’s strategic reserves. This was in coordination with other large energy-consuming countries. As fears of an economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic have grown, gas prices have dropped in recent weeks.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), Sunday’s average price was $3.33 per gallon. This is a drop of about 7 cents compared to late last month.
