Motoring: US to detail $5-billion plan to fund EV charging network – Gulf Digital News

Motoring: US to detail $5-billion plan to fund EV charging network – Gulf Digital News

The Biden administration on Thursday plans to detail how it will award nearly $5 billion over five years to build thousands of electric vehicle charging stations.

Congress approved the funding to states as part of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill in November.

The White House wants to prod Americans to move away from gasoline-powered vehicles even as efforts to win substantial additional funding for EVs in Congress have stalled.

The administration will make $615 million available in 2022 but states must first submit plans and win federal approval.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said funding "will help us win the EV race by working with states, labor, and the private sector to deploy a historic nationwide charging network."

By 2030, Biden wants 50% of all new vehicles sold to be electric or plug-in hybrid electric models and 500,000 new EV charging stations; he has not endorsed phasing out new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2030.

The Biden administration said in guidance Thursday that states should first prioritize investments along interstate highways. It also says:

The administration anticipates states will generally opt to hire private entities to install and operate EV charging stations.

The White House endorsed legislation stalled in Congress to increase current $7,500 EV tax credits to