The White House will resume funding the controversial national EV charger infrastructure which began under the Biden administration. Originally, the plan called for chargers to be installed at periodic intervals along interstates, but that was later scrapped as states decided to do different things with the funding.
Ford is pulling back from EVs.
Some states even refused to use the funds, most famously Wyoming, viewing the resulting charging stations as a liability instead of an asset. But others, chiefly California, became enraged when Trump came into office and suspended funding indefinitely.
After the matter went before the court, it was ordered that funding resume and it has, reports Bloomberg. Now the money you pay the IRS can go towards rich people plugging in their GMC Hummer EV while road tripping in California.
All this comes ironically as national interest in EVs has dropped noticeably. That might have in part something to do with the Trump administration dismantling regulations which would have forced people into buying electric cars within the next few years.
Even still, some states like California really want to spend your tax dollars on the chargers. Previously, there was a lot of red tape which was supposed to ensure the installations were accessible to “disadvantaged communities” even though it’s well established the vast majority of EV owners are affluent.
Those requirements as well as some which would’ve pushed labor unions into the work have been done away with by the current administration. The building of these publicly-accessible chargers will move forward.
One has to wonder how those stations will be used, who will maintain them, and how relevant they will remain as time marches on. That all will be evident in the future.
In the meantime, exclusive charger facilities are popping up, like those owned by Tesla or Porsche, for people who don’t want to mix with the commoners while plugging in.
Image via Hyundai
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