The Biden administration should prioritize expanding electric vehicle infrastructure.

To achieve President Biden's objective of transitioning to electric vehicles, energy experts advise the administration to prioritize examining power infrastructure prior to promoting a rise in sales.

Neil Chatterjee, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman, stated that they are promoting policies to increase the sale of electric vehicles, but not necessarily the usage of electric vehicles.

The number of electric vehicle charging ports in the U.S. has almost doubled in the past three years. While public charging ports account for about 88% of all EV charging ports, many owners also charge at home, where it's more affordable and convenient to plug in overnight.

Chatterjee stated that the main issue he is facing is the lack of charging infrastructure across the country, which is preventing drivers from being reassured about their range anxiety.

The Department of Transportation reports that there are three types of public charging ports, with approximately 200 being level one. These ports can take over 50 hours to charge a vehicle from empty to 80% full. The majority of public charging stations are level two.

It takes between 20 minutes to an hour to get a vehicle to 80% charged, but only 15% of public chargers are fast charging or level three, which take the least amount of time but are still not as quick as a trip to the gas station.

According to National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson, there is a high demand for fast car charging, which requires a large amount of electricity in a short period. However, the current grid setup is not designed to operate this way.

"Building things is not as easy as people make it seem because each project has its own set of complexities, and obtaining permits can be challenging. These things don't just happen overnight, so it takes time and effort to get them built."

In 2021, President Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law, which allocated around $7.5 billion for building electric vehicle charging stations. Despite this allocation, it took more than two years for the first fast charging stations to open.

"Matheson stated that the one-size-fits-all approach of national programs does not work, and the uptake for this has been slow. He added that as a representative of rural areas, he has observed a low uptake of electric vehicles due to the daily driving range requirements."

The Energy Department is currently tracking locations across the U.S. where an electric vehicle road trip could be possible using what the department calls fuel corridors. However, most of these corridors are still in the planning stages, with only a few in place, mostly along the East and West coasts. As a result, a 2,400-mile road trip along Route 66 is not yet possible in an electric vehicle.

"Matheson stated that while more electricity may seem beneficial for the people he represents, it is crucial to ensure that it is delivered reliably and affordably. He pointed out that the infrastructure requirements for increased electric demand can lead to higher costs, and there is a concern that it may affect reliability, keeping the lights on."

The Israeli company Electreon is installing wireless charging roads as the infrastructure of the future. They recently completed the first project in Detroit, where coils are laid beneath the asphalt and a receiver is connected to the vehicle. As the car travels, the battery unit is powered directly. Electreon is also working on several wireless charging projects across eight countries.

Some of those include bus terminals in Israel, delivery truck loading docks in Sweden, and ports in China.

"Chatterjee expressed hope that the market would drive technological breakthroughs in transportation through innovation, resulting in futuristic advancements."