White House to Establish 48 Electric Vehicle Charging Networks

According to a Reuters report, the White House approved plans on Nov. 3 to help establish 48 national electric-vehicle (EV) charging networks over approximately 25,000 miles of highways through 35 states.

Lack of EV infrastructure has been a major inhibitor of the market, but with what little time President Obama has left, his administration is looking to correct this.

The White House is not alone in its effort; twenty-eight states, utilities and vehicle manufacturers, including General Motors, BMW and Nissan Motor Co., have agreed to partner with the Federal Highway Administration to oversee the project. In the charging networks, drivers could expect EV charging stations every 50 miles.

Matching this commitment to bolstering the EV market, 24 state and local governments have agreed to purchase and operate hundreds of electric vehicles and construct charging stations

• California is set to buy 150 EVs and mandate 5 percent of state-owned parking include access to charging stations;
• Atlanta will install 300 charging stations at the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport; and
• Los Angeles has announced it will increase the city’s EV fleet from 200 to 555 vehicles.

In 2008, Obama set an ambitious goal of putting 1 million advanced technology vehicles on the road by 2015 (PDF). Since 2018 only 520,000 EVs have been sold.

In July, the president announced $4.5 billion for loans to private companies to expand charging facilities and encourage adoption of alternative fuel vehicles.

There was no timetable on the completion date of the charging networks.