White House announces electric vehicle charging plan to reach 2030 sales goal

The White House unveiled Dec. 13 a plan to increase access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure as part of President Joe Biden's goal for electric vehicles to account for half of new vehicle sales by 2030.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Biden administration's Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan at an event in Maryland. The plan will help establish a "more uniform approach" to charging infrastructure to spur investment in the space and drive customer interest in purchasing such a vehicle, the White House said in a fact sheet.

"The future of transportation in our nation and around the world is electric," Harris said. "The auto industry is clearly moving toward electric. We need to make the shift faster and make sure it is driven by the United States."

The Department of Energy and Department of Transportation will create a joint Office of Energy and Transportation devoted to deploying electric vehicle infrastructure. That office will initially focus on constructing public charging stations to ensure people living in neighborhoods without charging infrastructure have access, Harris said. The office will formally launch Dec. 14.

The two departments also intend to create an advisory committee focused on electric vehicles, appointing members by the end of March. Additionally, they are working with manufacturers in an effort to move electric vehicle production to the US.

The White House is organizing several stakeholder meetings to discuss partnering with state and local governments as well as interest groups.

Infrastructure law

The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law included $5 billion for states to help build a national charging network to achieve Biden's target of deploying 500,000 chargers across the nation, according to the White House. The Biden administration has touted the law as the nation's largest-ever investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

That legislation included $2.5 billion in grants for communities to fund "innovative approaches" while meeting the president's priorities, such as projects that support electric vehicle charging access in disadvantaged areas or improve local air quality, according to the White House.

DOT is working on guidance and standards for communities to deploy charging stations supported by the infrastructure legislation. The department is aiming to unveil that guidance by Feb. 11, followed by charger safety and operating standards by March 13.

The Biden administration is also targeting domestic manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries and components, including sourcing critical minerals for such technologies in the US. The infrastructure package included more than $7 billion in funding across the battery supply chain.

Additionally, Harris said the proposed Build Back Better Act marks the second part of the White House's legislative effort to support electric vehicles. That bill, which is awaiting Senate action after it was passed by the House of Representatives, would reduce by up to $12,500 the sticker price of new electric vehicles made in the US and include a tax credit of up to $4,000 for used electric vehicles "to ensure that electric vehicles are affordable for everyone," Harris said.

The vice president said she and Biden remain confident the Senate will pass the bill. Republicans oppose the proposal, however, and the upper chamber is still amending its language to likely appease some moderate Democrats, such as Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat-West Virginia, who have shared various concerns with the proposal.