Electrical car followers acquired an enormous increase when the White Home unveiled the nation’s first ever nationwide EV charging requirements earlier this week, besides perhaps for individuals who had been hoping for Tesla’s North American Commonplace to prevail. The brand new requirements should not that. They arrive underneath the federal authorities’s new Nationwide Electrical Automobile Infrastructure program, which goals to make recharging an EV battery as easy, seamless and standardized as filling up a fuel tank.
What Is The NEVI EV Charging Program?
The brand new requirements apply to all federally funded public EV charging stations, together with these funded by the NEVI program, which comes underneath Federal Freeway Administration, which is a department of the US Division of Transportation.
NEVI is a $5 billion federal funding program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation. As described by the Transportation Division, this system “supplies funding to States to strategically deploy electrical car (EV) charging infrastructure and to ascertain an interconnected community to facilitate knowledge assortment, entry, and reliability.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation is a job creation windfall for states, so let’s give credit score the place credit score is due. The invoice sailed by the Home with all Democratic Representatives voting in favor, although it solely garnered 13 votes on the Republican aspect. Republicans within the Senate confirmed somewhat extra enthusiasm, however not a lot. 19 Republican Senators voted in favor, however 30 voted towards it.
However, the invoice handed the Senate with all Democrats voting in favor, and President Biden signed it into legislation on November 15, 2021. The remainder is historical past, together with the newly introduced EV charging requirements.
The brand new requirements cowl greater than the charging plug. They apply to EV charging on a soup-to-nuts foundation, from {hardware} to site visitors management, connectivity and mapping apps.
EV Charging Sneak Assault On Fuel Stations
If the last word intention of the brand new requirements is to make EV charging “as straightforward as filling up at a fuel station” — which it’s — then EV charging at fuel stations is a pure end result.
In truth, EV charging stations have already been showing at fuel stations. They’re an particularly good match for places with comfort shops and restrooms. By the point you end your different transactions, your EV battery is topped off, or near it.
The brand new requirements will kick the fuel station exercise as much as the following degree. Among the many NEVI commitments listed by the White Home in a press launch final week is The Pilot Firm, which is on board with its community of 500 Pilot and Flying J journey facilities in partnership with Common Motors and EVgo. Equally, TravelCenters of America has dedicated 200 of its Journey Facilities and Petro places.
In an attention-grabbing twist, bp has been eyeballing TravelCenters of America for acquisition. The deal was finalized on February 15, the identical day because the NEVI announcement.
That brings issues full circle for bp, which has partnered with Hertz in assist of NEVI. The 2 firms are planning to constructing EV charging hubs in cities with a give attention to rideshare autos, rental autos, and taxis together with normal public charging.
EV Charging At Fuel Stations: You Ain’t Seen Nothing But
That’s simply the tip of the iceberg. Putting in an EV charging station just isn’t a very easy process, as described intimately by CleanTechnica’s Jennifer Sensiba final December. Arising with some type of modular, turnkey bundle would assist, and that ‘s simply what she discovered at a Phillips 66 station in Houston.
The charging station in query was manufactured by the corporate FreeWire Applied sciences, which has been popping up usually on the CleanTechnica radar (our full protection is right here). The fundamental concept is to combine vitality storage into an all-in-one bundle, which eliminates the necessity to set up new high-voltage traces.
FreeWire’s contribution to the NEVI community is a possible mind-bender. The corporate has already prepped a NEVI information to clean the method for funding candidates, and it already has relationships with fuel station stakeholders. Apart from Phillips 66, final September FreeWire introduced the same take care of Chevron and Texaco branded stations.
The final time we checked, Phillips had greater than 2,500 places within the US. Chevron and Texaco had about 8,000 between them.
Up, Up, & Away For Seamless EV Charging
FreeWire may very well be the key weapon within the Biden Administration electrification plan. The modular, all-in-one setup supplies for fast set up and extra flexibility in website choice in comparison with standard EV charging stations.
The corporate is seemingly already prepping an enormous enhance in gross sales.
“FreeWire introduced a brand new 66,000 sq. foot international headquarters in Newark, CA, a $20 million funding that may give attention to R&D and manufacturing of ultrafast EV charging gear and greater than 200 well-paying engineering and manufacturing jobs in electrification and clear vitality throughout the group,” said the White Home in a reality sheet that described all of the anticipated exercise round NEVI (right here’s that hyperlink once more).
“Woke Capitalism” Meets Federal Funding, Caves
As for which states have been vying for a share of the $5 billion NEVI pot, that’s straightforward: all of them. State-level transportation businesses in all 50 states are collaborating in this system.
That’s type of embarrassing for a variety of Republicans members of Congress, who’ve been threatening to punish funding companies that assist clear tech within the service of one thing unhealthy known as “woke capitalism.” Maybe they didn’t get the EV charging memo from their very own transportation officers.
It’s not simply members of Congress. Republican workplace holders in virtually two dozen states have additionally taken to bleating about “woke capitalism,” even whereas their transportation businesses rake within the huge bucks to assist kick the car electrification motion into excessive gear.
you, Florida Governor Gregg DiSantis. Your state is getting $198 million in NEVI funding over the following 5 years to put in extra EV infrastructure and kill gasmobiles, regardless of your assaults on company ESG (surroundings, social, governance) investing.
One other epicenter of the woke capitalism canard is Texas, the place each Republican US Senator Ted Cruz and Republican Governor Gregg Abbott have been slinging the woke capitalism canard with carefree abandon, seemingly unaware that their state is getting $408 million in NEVI funding for worry-free EV driving from one finish of the state to a different.
Then there’s Virginia, the place Governor Glenn Youngkin turned down Ford’s new LFP battery manufacturing unit, costing his state 1000’s of jobs. Virginia gained’t get these jobs, however it is going to get $100 million in NEVI funding to construct out its EV charging station community.
All 4 of those workplace holders are eyeballing the Oval Workplace, so don’t count on them to vary their tune because the 2024 election cycle heats up.
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Picture (cropped, brightened): Modular EV charging station courtesy of Freewire.
