The question is whether every local authority is prepared to help where federal funding may fall short. “The next 10 years [in EV charging] It's all about the urban environment, cities, middle- and low-income people,” Reg says. In a world where electric vehicles become political lightning rods, those are the places where the most charger action is likely to be seen.
EV charging as bipartisan
Many people would love it if EVs—and their chargers—could avoid the culture wars altogether. Joe Sachs is the executive director of the bipartisan EV Politics Project, an advocacy group, and says getting more public chargers on the ground is key to getting more electrics on the road. The group's surveys show that customer fears about the range of EVs and unreliable charging networks are keeping some of them from buying electric.
Charging companies are still in their early days, and some are struggling to operate as profit-making businesses. Then again, charger-funding constraints may be an almost non-existent concern for the industry. “It's a scary trend where some in the incoming administration view electric vehicle funding as low-hanging fruit,” Sachs says. Some political operators “use EV harm as a tool to make any kind of policy that is interesting to them. It is disappointing for us.”
For those who depend on federal money, even during the less-than-enthusiastic Trump administration, there is some good news: It will be very hard for the Fed to withdraw all that federal charger funding. the government has already allotted at least $3.5 billion in charger money to states. Forty-two states have begun taking bids on charger contracts, and 12 have at least one station up and running. Those states span the political spectrum: Texas, Utah, Kentucky and Ohio all voted for Republicans this October, and the Chargers are ahead in the build-out. So are Democratic states, including New York, California, Rhode Island and Maine.
“There is broad support for electrification among a whole group of important stakeholders,” says Jason Mathers, associate vice president of zero-emission truck initiatives at the Environmental Defense Fund. Manufacturers, labor unions, community organizations, politicians who want more EV-related jobs in their districts, and big companies already experimenting with EVs, including Walmart and Amazon, all have reasons to want chargers on the ground. Advocates like Mathers don't believe those constituencies will disappear due to a change in administration — meaning the pressure to build charging networks will remain.
Sachs, director of the EV Politics Project, says there are plenty of messages related to EV charging that should appeal to politicians of all types. “We want the Trump administration to see that the EV transition is not only important for the jobs that exist here, but also for maintain our competitiveness vs china,
For example, Sachs finds it heartening that the Trump administration is seeking investment in domestic battery mining industries. (Today, most of the mining and processing of battery materials occurs overseas, and particularly in China.) To create demand for that type of industry, more Americans will need to buy electric vehicles — and they'll need lots of EV chargers. Can't do this without being around. Ensuring that all Americans have access to those new chargers, not just those living in specific “EV-friendly” states, could help get that message across.