Electric Vehicle Road Trip Woes Spark Major Investments in Charging Infrastructure

Electric vehicles have a road trip charging problem compared to gas cars - lack of chargers, slow charging, unreliable chargers, cumbersome trip planning.
Tesla has invested heavily in its Supercharger network which works much better than other chargers.
The auto industry and government are now investing billions to build more and better chargers across the country.
Ford and other automakers plan to support Tesla's charging standard to improve experience.
Switching to EVs has big climate benefits but infrastructure must improve for mass adoption.

npr.org

Relevant topic timeline:

9/10/2023

Energy Secretary's EV Road Trip Stalled by Lack of Chargers

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm encountered a lack of electric vehicle chargers during a road trip promoting EVs, resulting in an incident where police were called.

9/11/2023

EV Driver Calls Police on Energy Secretary's Staff for Blocking Charger on Southeast Road Trip

US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's staff blocked a public EV charger with a gasoline car, prompting a family to call the police, during Granholm's road trip to highlight the White House's investment in electric vehicles.

9/11/2023

Wireless Charging Roads Emerge as Solution to Expand Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

Electric road projects are emerging as a potential solution to supplement static charging, allowing electric vehicle drivers to wirelessly charge their cars while driving, which could address the lack of charging infrastructure as a reason for not adopting electric vehicles.

9/12/2023

Granholm's EV Road Trip Hits Snag as Staff Block Chargers with Gas Car

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's staff caused chaos by using a gas-powered car to block an electric vehicle (EV) charger during a road trip, drawing attention to the logistical issues faced by zero-emissions cars.

9/26/2023

Granholm's EV Road Trip Hits Snags, Highlights Challenges of Green Energy Push

Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee are investigating Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's electric vehicle road trip, calling it a "taxpayer-funded publicity stunt" to promote green energy and criticizing the Biden Administration's push to force Americans to buy EVs.

Topics

Posted 9/10/2023, 10:00:51 AM

Electric Vehicle Road Trip Woes Spark Major Investments in Charging Infrastructure

Electric vehicles have a road trip charging problem compared to gas cars - lack of chargers, slow charging, unreliable chargers, cumbersome trip planning.
Tesla has invested heavily in its Supercharger network which works much better than other chargers.
The auto industry and government are now investing billions to build more and better chargers across the country.
Ford and other automakers plan to support Tesla's charging standard to improve experience.
Switching to EVs has big climate benefits but infrastructure must improve for mass adoption.

npr.org

Relevant topic timeline:

9/10/2023

Energy Secretary's EV Road Trip Stalled by Lack of Chargers

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm encountered a lack of electric vehicle chargers during a road trip promoting EVs, resulting in an incident where police were called.

9/11/2023

EV Driver Calls Police on Energy Secretary's Staff for Blocking Charger on Southeast Road Trip

9/11/2023

Wireless Charging Roads Emerge as Solution to Expand Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

9/12/2023

Granholm's EV Road Trip Hits Snag as Staff Block Chargers with Gas Car

9/26/2023

Granholm's EV Road Trip Hits Snags, Highlights Challenges of Green Energy Push