More people are buying electric vehicles than ever before. There are about 2 million EVs on the road in the US, a sixfold increase from 2016, but the number of EVs is still a very small slice of the more than 280 million vehicles in operation. Certain factors, such as upfront cost and battery range, are driving manufacturing and innovation challenges within large scale companies. But another source of consumer resistance opens up a complex set of questions that will need to be addressed on a larger scale – the availability of charging stations and a power grid that can handle them.
Currently, cars and trucks together generate about one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions. To meet net-zero emissions targets in the coming decades, consumers will need to buy a lot of electric vehicles, and they’ll need a lot of places to charge. Department of Energy actively track The total number of public charging stations in the country (the total number of charging ports is higher), a number now stands at 55,000. If that sounds like a lot, consider that there are close to three times the number of gas stations. Also note that although EV charge times vary widelyThey are noticeably slower than gasping, so overcrowding at charging stations is a significant issue.
according to recent McKinsey & Company ReportUp to 1.2 million public chargers will require about 20 times more charging stations than are now available.
Where competition has been an important part of EV innovation, public and private collaboration will help drive the growth of EV-charging infrastructure. Biden Administration Recently Announced New standards for EV charging In line with its goal of installing 500,000 additional charging stations by 2030, and set aside by $7.5 billion bipartisan infrastructure law Represents the government’s first investment in EV chargers. The minimum standards will help lay the groundwork for states to build charging station projects that are accessible to all drivers, regardless of location, EV brand or charging company.
“Given the challenging business case, public funding for highway corridor charging is particularly important as the EV market continues to grow,” a GM spokesperson said.
Infrastructure doesn’t have the appeal of great new vehicle rollouts like new vehicle rollouts Chevy Silverado EV or Ford’s Electric F-150 Lightning PickupAnd as a GM spokesperson explained, it calls for cross-sector collaboration and policy support to streamline permissions, actively engage electric utilities, accelerate siting and grid interconnection timelines, and eliminate other outstanding infrastructure deployment bottlenecks. is a constant need.
“It really requires an ‘all hands on deck’ approach,” he said.
Part of the lack of charging infrastructure so far is related to the nature of EV procurement. Tesla Represents 80% of the EV market in the US. An entry-level Tesla costs around $50,000 and as 80% of Tesla owners charge at home, the development of public charging stations has not kept pace with future needs.
But there are signs that this is changing.
Tesla, which used its proprietary technology for its Supercharger network, moving away from that model, Last July, Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned in a tweet that Tesla built its network because none existed. “We built our own connector, because there was no standard back then and Tesla was the only manufacturer of long-range electric cars. That said, we’re opening up our Supercharger network to all other EVs.”
As GM sees it, the sheer number of Chargers, while significant, is only part of the story.
“We believe there is a need to focus on building a holistic charging ecosystem that enables convenient, reliable, economical charging access for all, and is What are we trying to do with the Altium Charge 360“This includes expanding into additional use cases such as at home (including multi-family housing), at work, and strategic public spaces, as well as fleets,” the GM spokesperson said. Doing the right place to meet the needs of the customers and instill confidence both now and in the future,” he said.
At the Future of the Car Conference in May, Musk says Tesla will add CCS connector As for its Supercharger network: “It’s a little trickier in the US because we have a different connector than the rest of the industry, but we’ll be adding the rest of the industry connector as an alternative to Superchargers in the US,” Musk said. The combined-charger system (CCS) is standard across Europe, and adding a Tesla adapter gives Tesla-owners access to more charging options, allowing non-Tesla owners to access the Supercharger network.
In April, Musk – whose Ties with the Biden AdministrationAnd Democratic Partygot tensed – Biden sat down with officials and GM CEO Mary Barra to discuss EV-charging infrastructure. transport Department “There is broad agreement that charging stations and vehicles should be interoperable and provide a seamless user experience, no matter what car you drive or where you charge your EV,” a DOT statement said.
In the next ten years, Wade How much do you plan to spend on electric vehicles? $20 billion, Its BlueOwl charging network is the largest public charging network in North America, with 20,000 charging stations with over 60,000 plugs. Speaking of the rapid acceleration of its EV plans, Ford CEO Jim Farley said: At a recent EV launch event, “this is something no one would have believed in us two years ago.”
The culture around EV-charging stations is quite different from that of gas stations, with the proliferation of in-home charging raising questions about equity and access, and the divide between urban and rural areas. Institute of Environmental and Energy Studies, There are significant parts of rural America where one can drive for a while without seeing an EV-charging station, while filling stations punctuate the landscape at regular intervals. GM and Ford will have to be a big part of this much-needed effort to tackle the “charging desert.”
GM, through Dealer Community Charging Program, will distribute up to 10 charging stations to its EV dealers. This will add about 40,000 stations, which will be distributed evenly across the country, especially in under-served areas. This will help keep many consumers within charging range: About 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a GM dealership. as part of a $750 million initiativeThese stations may be distributed at the discretion of GM dealerships in their communities.
“We aim to provide customers with the right equipment and access to charging, where and when they need it,” GM President Mark Rees said in a statement last October, working with our dealer network. To accelerate the expansion of accessible charging in underprivileged, rural and urban areas.”
GM expects most of the charging to happen at home, which is convenient for most customers. McKinsey estimates that the US will need 28 million personal chargers by 2030. GM’s Altium Smart Chargers, which will be available later this year, will give customers and businesses the opportunity to roll the cost into lease payments and vehicle loans.
It is also rolling out charging in public places where customers are already spending 30 minutes to a few hours apart – such as grocery stores and gyms – to enable more convenient public charging. An example of this is GM’s cooperation. EVGO To install 3,250 DC fast chargers in major metropolitan areas by the end of 2025.
As the issue of the charging desert concerns challenging urban infrastructure, even interested buyers – many of whom are also apartment dwellers – may have significant challenges locating convenient and reliable charging stations. In an urban setting or in the case of an urban fleet, a major issue is the lack of garages or other facilities where individual charging stalls can be deployed. According to Yuri Dvorkin, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and member of the C2SMART Tier 1 Transportation Center at NYU Tandon, a key solution is public charging infrastructure, which is designed to provide high-wattage capacity (to ensure high charging power and thus to ensure charging speeds). for) is required. ) and multi-stall (to ensure that multiple electric vehicles can charge at the same time).
“If you can buy a relatively cheap EV (if you collect all the incentives and tax benefits), the purchase price is affordable for a significant number of people living in US urban areas and the real limit to adoption is actually public charging. There is access to infrastructure, Dvorkin said.
major vehicle manufacturers calling for an extension Among those government incentives for EV purchases. Meanwhile, recent infrastructure funding is an “important step forward” for EV infrastructure, Dworkin said, but more to advance R&D than cure.
There are many “techno-economic challenges” that have to be solved beyond the direct control of the auto companies, Dworkin said. The primary restrictions are allowing and, essentially, power grid limits. “Permission is still a challenge and it may take months for an EV charging station to be approved,” he said. “And there is a need to ensure that the grid is capable of delivering electricity to EV charging stations; this requires the development of tools to determine whether the EV charging infrastructure is sufficient to meet consumer demand and the limitations of the power grid.” Where should it be posted?
The actions of older automakers such as GM and Ford underscore the cultural shift built into the move to EVs and could drive change in the national automotive culture. Although later to the game than Tesla, the big automakers represent the core notions of the automobile long woven into the American imagination: freedom, possibility, escape — none of which play very well if you don’t mind your battery. Can’t keep charge. As GM and Ford increase the pace of their EV manufacturing, and Tesla expands access to its EV-charging infrastructure, the bigger spec could follow along with them, with more readily available charging on the way.
“This is the Ford Motor Company… Model-T. That’s what we do. We’re not some new start-up,” Farley recently told CNBC.
,By Trevor Lawrence Joachims, Exclusive for CNBC.com