Biden Administration Powers Ahead With Vehicle Charging

The White House announced a series of measures today that will help create a reliable and seamless charging experience for drivers across the U.S.

The White House announced a series of measures that will help create a reliable and seamless charging experience for drivers across the U.S.

The measures include important new Department of Transportation standards. The release of these standards means construction on a national public charging infrastructure in all 50 states can begin.

“To achieve mass adoption of electric cars and trucks, drivers’ experience should meet or exceed what gasoline vehicles offer in terms of convenience, reliability, ease of use, and cost,” Colleen Quinn, a leader of the National EV Charging Initiative, said. “These crucial standards will put us on the highway toward a simple and reliable charging experience.”

That National EV Charging Initiative has been working with the Biden administration, state leaders and others to ensure the nation gets the charging network necessary to transition cars and trucks to a zero-emission future.

In broad terms these Department of Transportation standards will: 

• Require that charging stations are operational 97 percent of the time;
• Allow consumers to access consistent pricing, location, and accessibility information online and on mobile devices;
• Require non-proprietary equipment that can charge rapidly, getting drivers back on the road quickly;
• Support a basic payment option that is secure and convenient and does not require a registration in a private network;
• Ensure that there are trained electricians to provide prompt, affordable and timely installation and maintenance of chargers.

“Electric vehicles are already economically competitive, especially when considering the savings on fuel and maintenance — and they are unquestionably better for our health and our climate,” said Miles Muller, an attorney in the clean vehicles program at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “With these standards we can make sure that drivers of electric vehicles will also have access to reliable and convenient charging wherever the road may take them.”

The National Electric Vehicle Charging Initiative adopted Guiding Principles to convey our shared values to the public and policymakers, the private sector and financial community, and those tasked with investing public dollars to accelerate transportation electrification. They point to actions we must take individually and collectively.

Category: Driver Stuff, Electric Vehicles, Equipment, Featured, Fleet Maintenance, Fuel & Oil, General Update, Green, News, Shop Stuff, Transit News