Big Business And Politicians Join Forces To Address EV Infrastructure Needs

Gas stations are commonplace in communities around the world, but electric vehicle owners often have a hard time finding a place to charge up.

Although research shows an overwhelming majority of EV owners enjoy their vehicles and plan to buy another one in the future, a dearth of reliable and speedy charging stations remains a serious issue.

Common complaints

One New Yorker explained that he bought an EV for his daughter to drive when she goes off to college and marveled over the price and practicality of the SUV itself. When it comes time to charge it up, however, there’s a serious problem.

Steve Hammes said that it makes him “nervous” to think about his daughter traveling between college and home without access to state-of-the-art rapid chargers.

Help is on the way

Tesla has been an industry leader by placing branded Level 2 or higher chargers in parking lots across the United States, but owners of other EV brands are forced to play catchup. Fortunately, Tesla has agreed to expand access to different automakers in the relatively near future.

The Biden administration has also spearheaded an effort to provide at least 500,000 new charging stations at strategic locations nationwide to address these concerns.

The reliability factor

While there is some early evidence that additional EV charging locations are popping up at a consistent pace, industry insider John Voelcker said that regulation seems to be lagging far behind construction.

In many places, he noted that chargers are dead and cables have become caked with gunk.

In the end, though, innovation will surely win out. EV range is much greater than it was just a few years ago and companies from Subway to Starbucks are investing in charging stations that will give drivers some much-needed peace of mind.

Chris Agee February 28th, 2023

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