The Biden administration will announce a plan Monday for building a national network of charging stations as it pursues its goal of ensuring that electric cars make up half of all vehicle sales by 2030.
Vice President Kamala Harris will outline the plan, which establishes a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation between the Department of Energy and Department of Transportation and taps into funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law that President Biden signed in November.
The bill includes $5 billion that will be disbursed to states to build a charging network from coast to coast and $2.5 billion that supports places looking to fill gaps in charging access within rural and poor communities.
The Department of Transportation will issue guidance in early 2022 on how to deploy charging stations to ensure they work, are accessible and are placed where they are needed.
The plan will also request information from car markers on their ability to meet the administration’s goals and tout efforts to spur domestic battery production, including access to lithium mining at the Thacker Pass in Nevada.
“The electric car future is cleaner, more equitable, more affordable, and an economic opportunity to support good-paying, union jobs across American supply chains as automakers continue investing in manufacturing clean vehicles and the batteries that power them,” a White House fact sheet said.
Ms. Harris will deliver remarks on the plan with National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
