The US Department of Transportation released rules Wednesday about the $7.5B federal charging investment, which is part of the larger infrastructure bill passed in 2021. Expanding and broadening the charging network is key to the administration's plan to convert 50% of all new US vehicle sales to electric by 2030. The government is doling out plenty of incentives to get things rolling. Here are some of the deets:
🇺🇸 EV chargers must obtain at least 55% of their construction materials (including iron and steel) from domestic sources by 2024. All assembly and manufacturing must be done in the US, starting immediately.
🔌 Tesla has exclusive access to the largest network of high-speed superchargers in the US, accounting for around 60% of all fast chargers. The project will tap into the network by offering subsidies to Tesla for retrofitting its stations. This brings the federal government closer to its goal of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030 (up from 130K). Tesla has agreed to open at least 7,500 of their proprietary chargers by 2024, but no larger agreement exists.
🙌 According to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the ultimate goal is, "no matter what EV you drive, we want to make sure that you will be able to plug in, know the price you're going to be paying, and charge up in a predictable, user-friendly experience."