News

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has opened up the application process for $2.5 Billion in funding for the Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program.

The funds will be available to cities, counties, regional governments, and Indian reservation lands over a 5 year period.  The money will help deploy EV chargers, hydrogen fuel stations and other reduced-emissions systems near their residents although hydrogen fuel stations have not received a lot of attention. 

Here are some trends in the ever evolving EV field with most of them being driven by federal investment. 

1. It has been a record year for opening of EV related plants in the United States with manufacturers announcing $73 Billion in planned projects for 2023 according to NPR. This huge investment shows confidence in the ever growing EV market. 

EV charging hiccups are definitely out there and can lead to some frustrating and almost laughable results. If you ever wander away from your home charging universe in your EV, you have likely experienced them.

Tesla announced a new program to allow charging of non-Tesla vehicles using a magic dock connector and other vehicles can officially start fueling up at Tesla Supercharger stations in the US. After the federal government announced new standards, Tesla waisted no time in moving forward. The company expects to enable charging at 3500 level 3 stations by 2024 and an additional 4,000 level 2 stations.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway (FHWA) issued finalized guidelines for the national EV charging infrastructure.

I was an earlier adopter of electric vehicles and owned a Tesla when they first arrived on the scene. The buying experience was done completely online aside from delivery that took place at a physical dealership. The vehicle had a pick up and go that just could not be matched by a conventional gas powered car and it was exciting to let the car drive itself. Then winter came...

Announcements are coming out almost every day about another company making an investment into EV charging.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) recently announced  $1.7 billion in available funding through the Low or No Emission and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Programs FY2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Companies are jumping into the EV charging space at an ever increasing pace.

Subway, the largest fast food chain in the world, is the latest to get into the space. While you will not find EV chargers at all locations, they will be in select places dubbed the Subway Oasis.

BP purchased TravelCenters of America for $1.3 Billion in cash for approximately 280 fuel, convenience, and restaurant centers in the United States. 

This deal expands BP's network of EV charging stations as the centers have been rapidly adding EV charging stations. TravelCenters of American has been expanding its network in part through a partnership with Electrify America LLC aimed at rolling out another 1,000 fast chargers.