In an effort to reduce America’s dependence on gasoline-powered cars, the Biden administration announced a $5Billion investment.
The EV program is part of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. It will be distributed to eligible states over a five year period.
As rising gas prices and climate worries motivate people to go electric, the federal Transportation and Energy departments will be leading the effort to electrify interstate highways.
Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, stated that disbursements will only go to states that have detailed plans for how they’ll spend their money.
Buttigieg stated recently that these are taxpayer dollars and it cannot be just a blank check. “We have to ensure that they are being spent efficiently.”
According to J.D., nearly 489,000 electric cars were bought in the U.S. last fiscal year. This is slightly more than 3 per cent of all cars sold. Power. Range anxiety, the fear that a driver will run out of juice before they can reach a charging station, could be a factor in reducing interest in switching.
Buttigieg stated that he hopes the program will calm these nerves.
He said, “Regardless of where you are going, you know you won’t have a problem anymore than you worry about finding gas for your trip on the interstate highways today.”
According to the Department of Energy, there are 47.142 public electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. According to the Department of Energy, the Biden administration stated that it aims to increase this number to 500,000. These chargers can only be used if EVs have been put on the road.
According to Kelley Blue Book’s average price for an electric vehicle, $56,437, many Americans don’t think they can afford to change.
Buttigieg stated, “We have to lower the sticker price.” “That’s why it’s important to speed up the production of these items on a large scale. It’s also why we need more tax incentives to lower the upfront cost.
Buttigieg; Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) visited Heartland Community College in Normal to meet students in a 2-year program that prepares them to be electric vehicle technicians.
Kyle Klein, a student, said that EV is the future for automotives and that he wants to be part of a growing industry.
Klein stated, “I have been a stay at home dad for the last three years.” “I wanted to return to the workforce after the children went to school. Luckily, this program was available.”
Buttigieg recognized that the EV industry cannot succeed without infrastructure.
He said, “We already have a lot more chargers across the nation.” “This is about accelerating those to keep up with the growing popularity of these EVs.”
