In nine years, gas stations will be obsolete if all goes according to President Biden’s American Jobs Plan. One of the most closely watched, if thin-on-details, provisions sketches the parameters of the administration’s electric-vehicle initiative, which calls for 500,000 charging stations across America by 2030.
Therein lies a major problem. To be sure, prices are declining and the used EV market is picking up. But the challenges posed by charging-station access and the amount of time to charge an EV—anywhere from roughly half an hour to top up fast-charging models to around five hours or more for slower chargers—could make or break the EV rollout. EV first adopters have charging figured out, but average drivers considering EVs will balk at having to enroll in different charging-station networks to get going, especially since they are hardwired to the existing gas station culture of getting in and getting out as quickly as possible, and are long accustomed to their ability to fill up at an Exxon or Chevron or any station that’s nearby.
Equity issues also have reared up. Today, there are only about 42,000 charging stations and 101,000 charging outlets. Wealthier, whiter neighborhoods have more charging stations than any place else, making range anxiety and charging deserts a valid concern for everyone else.
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