Like many current electric vehicle owners, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg usually charges his hybrid minivan overnight at home in his garage. But he recently took his car to a public charging station that wasn't working.
Getting a reliable charging network in place is crucial as more drivers use EVs. But public charging stations have been plagued with problems, including glitchy or inoperable equipment, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The U.S. government plans to launch a $100 million effort to tackle the reliability issue and make public charging more consistent.
"The funding aims to repair and replace thousands of old or out-of-commission chargers that are contributing to a roll-of-the-dice sensation among EV drivers, who never know what they might find," The Journal reported.
Buttigieg told the Journal: "Imagine what it would be like if you couldn't be sure when you pulled into a gas station that you'd actually get gas out of it. This is about making sure that access to charging is as reliable as access to fuel is today for gas cars, and we know that that's not just a question of quantity but also one of quality."
The funding was approved in 2021's bipartisan infrastructure bill and will target more than 6,000 existing chargers that are classified as "temporarily unavailable" because of power issues, damage from vandalism, or routine maintenance, the Journal reported.
There are about 150,000 public charging ports available to drivers, according to government data. Most charge cars over a period of hours, but around 34,000 are fast chargers that take 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the equipment and how fast the car battery can charge.
The charging industry outside the Tesla network has struggled with reliability, the Journal noted. Tesla plans to open at least some of its network to other kinds of vehicles. An August study from J.D. Power found that while 20% of charging sessions failed, the Tesla network had just a 4% failure rate.
According to data from Cox Automotive, parent of Kelley Blue Book, the average transaction price for EVs was $53,469 in July 2023, with gas-powered vehicles at $48,334. Tesla contributed to a substantial drop in EV prices since late last year as it cut prices.
The federal government offers qualified buyers EV incentives of up to $7,500 for select new fully electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell vehicles.
Peter Malbin ✉
Peter Malbin, a Newsmax writer, covers news and politics. He has 30 years of news experience, including for the New York Times, New York Post and Newsweek.com.
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