Electric cars: The Biden administration wants to standardize electric vehicle charging stations, such as gas stations

CNN
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Every gas station is basically the same – the nozzle fits every vehicle, the pump takes common credit cards and the price is put on a large banner. The Biden administration wants to make electric car charging stations that much more.

The new proposed rule would require half a million electric vehicle chargers that it plans to fund to be interoperable, similar to how a gas pump would work with any vehicle. Charging stations funded under the federal program will also be open to anyone — prohibiting any membership requirements — and setting a common standard for payment and other technologies. Charging stations will be built along the highways of America.

The proposal, which came from the Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy on Thursday, comes as consumers at the pump continue to pay record high gas prices. like CNN Previously mentionedThe average price of a gallon of regular gas in the United States was $4.96, according to the latest reading from AAA on Wednesday. It was the 12th day in a row, and the 29th time in the last 30 that gas had set a record in America.

Although President Joe Biden recently approved There was nothing he could do to lower gas prices in the near term, pushing his electric car as part of his plan to tackle the climate crisis. In August of last year, The president announced a goal Half of the cars sold in the country by 2030 will be battery electric, fuel cell electric, or plug-in hybrid.

The new initiative is part of the administration’s efforts to ensure that electric charging is accessible to all Americans and to target key concerns that prevent drivers from purchasing electric vehicles. Key among them is range anxiety, the driver’s fear that he may not have enough charge to get to the next pickup station.

The Biden administration is also targeting other concerns by requiring standardized pricing and payment systems, and pouring billions into other efforts such as fast battery charging technology.

If its draft is finalized, the rule will apply to chargers funded under the federal infrastructure law signed last November. It includes about $5 billion that will go to states to build charging networks, including funding targeting chargers along highways and other major roads.

“To support the transition to electric vehicles, we must build a national charging network that makes finding a cargo as easy as filling it up at a gas station,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.