The White House has announced a new public-private initiative to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) charging in the US. The plan includes up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees for charging infrastructure, a call on states and cities to procure electric fleets, a new guide for financing EVs and charging stations, and even plans for an EV hackathon.
At the center of this announcement is a list of guiding principles for EV charging, signed by nearly 50 diverse organizations, including automakers, charging station companies like ChargePoint, and utilities. The principles reflect policy discussions that are already underway in legislatures and commissioners around the country: what more can be done to promote transportation electrification and expand access to EVs for all income levels?
Here are the guiding principles from the announcement:
- Drive the market transformation to electric vehicles by making it easy for consumers to charge their vehicles with grid-connected infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, available and reliable, and interconnected with other low-carbon transportation options where feasible.
- Promote electric vehicle adoption by increasing access to charging infrastructure and supporting the development of plug-in electric vehicles that are as accessible, available, and convenient as gasoline-powered vehicles.
- Promote a robust market for vehicle manufacturers, utilities, equipment service providers, and support industries that ensures a consistent user experience, customer choice, and allows for a streamlined permitting process.
- Enhance American manufacturing competitiveness, innovation, and the development of advanced technology.
- Attract and leverage private, State, and Federal investment in electric vehicle deployment, infrastructure, research and development, and education and outreach.
- Enable smart charging and vehicle-grid integration through solutions such as demand response, and other energy storage and load management strategies.
Consensus around a national direction for EV charging could be a game changer. There is potential for these principles to be echoed in future legislation, in Commission orders exploring the role of utilities to invest in EV charging infrastructure, and in agreements between state and regional coalitions seeking to work together on transportation electrification.
For more information, read the White House statement here.