September 9, 2021
Today is World Electric Vehicle Day, and the goal is to raise awareness of electric vehicles (EVs) to promote greater deployment across the globe. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 10 million electric cars were deployed across the world at the close of 2020, and sales are expected to continue to increase as more and more automakers commit to going fully electric. While sales are increasing, the largest immediate challenge to greater EV deployment is the need for additional charging infrastructure.
When faced with the option of purchasing an EV, many families will come back to the question, “Where do I charge it?” This question, along with “range anxiety” for longer trips, are the biggest barriers limiting wider-scale deployment of EVs – including realizing President Biden’s vision of 50% of all new car sales being electric by 2030. At the end of 2020, the United States had approximately 50,000 EV chargers with 120,000 EV charging ports. Experts believe that while Congress allocated $7.5 billion to EV charging in the infrastructure bill that is pending in the House, the needed investment is about five to ten times larger. The need to invest in a robust public EV charging network is significant, especially if we hope to achieve the bold EV deployment goals set forth by this Administration.
ITS America supports investing in zero-emission vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, including by eliminating the prohibition on commercial activities in the highway right-of-way, along with many other policies designed to reduce transportation’s outsized impact on the environment – check out all the recommendations in our sustainability and resiliency policy.
Morgan Ellis is the Vice President, Sustainable Transportation at ITS America.
Contact her at mellis@itsa.org
