For states to receive funding for public charging stations as part of the $5 billion allotted in last year’s infrastructure bill, they’ll have to agree to meet minimum operational standards. The Biden administration confirmed those standards will be released next week, per Automotive News:
The standards will help ensure that a national EV charging network is accessible, user-friendly and interoperable between different charging companies and across a broad range of vehicles, White House and administration officials said.
“These new standards will make sure that these chargers can be used by everyone — no matter what car you drive, where you live or how you pay,” Mitch Landrieu, the White House’s infrastructure implementation coordinator, said during a press call.
And here’s a little teaser, in the form of a broad summation, of what those standards will include:
The proposed rule includes a requirement to build EV charging stations every 50 miles, no more than 1 mile off the highway, and with a focus on the interstate system and alternative fuel corridors. Stations also would be required to have at least four 150-kilowatt direct-current fast-charging ports capable of simultaneously charging four EVs.
It also requires real-time information on station location, availability and pricing, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other relevant state and federal requirements, officials said.
The EV charging infrastructure also would be required to operate on the same software platforms across states, and there would be data submittal requirements to create a public EV charging database as well as network connectivity requirements to enable secure remote monitoring, diagnostics, control and updates.
More specifically, it would require that chargers communicate with EVs through an industry-standard charging port type called the Combined Charging System, which would accommodate a baseline of vehicles as well as the use of EV charging adapters.
States will need to submit their plans to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, a new department established specifically for this purpose, by August 1 for approval by September 30. Only after that process can they receive funding.
Automotive News also reports that alongside this new public charging infrastructure, the White House has formed an EV Working Group, made up of 25 members to be selected that will “make recommendations on the development, adoption and integration of EVs across the U.S.” What requirements have been shared above seem reasonable at first glance, especially the stipulation they must run on the same software. Foresight: you love to see it.
Leave a Reply