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show notes. There's a massive move in the US
towards electric vehicles or EVs in the Biden Harris
administration has announced A substantial $623 million in
grants, and this move is aimed at expanding the EV charging
network across the nation, a step that promises to create
numerous thousands of American jobs and ensure wider
accessibility to EV charging facilities for the rest of us to
drive EVs. Now, under President Biden's
watch, EV sales have seen a dramatic increase, quadrupling
in numbers publicly available. Charging ports have expanded by
nearly 70%, with over 4 million E VS now cruising on American
roads. This surge is largely attributed
to the administration's historic investments prompting private
sector commitments exceeding $155 billion in the EV and
battery supply chain. Now the grants come from the
bipartisan infrastructure laws $2.5 billion Charging and
Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program.
This program aims to fund EV charging and alternative fueling
infrastructure projects in 22 States and Puerto Rico,
including about 7500 new EV charging ports.
It's a part of a broader strategy to establish a reliable
and high speed EV charging network along most US highways.
Now the US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
highlighted this historical significance of this move.
He said America led the arrival of the automotive era and now we
have a chance to lead the world in the EV revolution, securing
jobs, savings and benefits for Americans in the process.
Now this funding will focus on making EV chargers widely
accessible and also dependable. Now, the Federal Highway
Administration is allocating $311 million to 36 community
projects, including two Indian tribes in Alaska and also in
Arizona. These projects concentrate on EV
charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in various
locations like schools, parks and libraries, enhancing the
accessibility in both urban and also rural communities.
An additional $312 million is designated for 11 corridor
projects situated along alternative fuel corridors.
This funding is set to address gaps in the national charging
and alternative fueling network, ensuring widespread availability
along major roadways. And a significant aspect of
these grants is there alignment with President Biden's Justice
40 initiative aiming for 40% of the benefits from federal
investments to reach disadvantaged communities.
Notably, more than 70% of the CFI funding announced will
support projects in these areas. US Secretary of Energy Jennifer
Granholm emphasize the inclusive nature of this initiative.
Every community across the nation deserves access to
convenient and reliable clean transportation, she stated.
This initiative is a major step in reducing carbon emissions in
addressing the climate crisis that we face, and the US
Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg highlighted
the different needs for EV charging in communities compared
to highways. They said USDOT is proud to make
an investment that will provide Americans with convenient,
straightforward charging options in their communities.
At Federal Highway Administrator Shell and BAT expressed
enthusiasm about the grants, too.
They said these investments to the CFI program will grow our
national EV charging network, support President Biden's goals
of achieving net 0 emissions for the nation by 2050 and promote
opportunity for all Americans to enjoy the benefits of EV
charging. Now the project selected in this
run of grants are diverse. For instance, the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection receives $10 million
to build EV charging stations and disadvantaged communities in
rural areas focusing on multi family housing and transit
stations. Maryland's Clean Energy Center
is granted 15,000,000 to established 87 EV charging
stations across the state, including at Coppin State
University and HBCU in Baltimore and in 34 disadvantaged
communities. This project includes workforce
development programs aimed at providing good paying jobs and
apprenticeships. In Texas, a significant $70
million is allocated to the North Central Texas Council of
Governments to establish a hydrogen fueling corridor,
including up to five stations for medium and heavy duty
freight trucks in major cities like Dallas, Houston and San
Antonio. Now, California's Contra Costa
County receives about $15 million to build 52 fast
charging stations and 60 Level 2 chargers at various County
Library branches. Similarly, Energy Northwest in
Washington state is funded to install 40 fast chargers and 12
Level 2 chargers, focusing on rural and disadvantaged
communities. In the city of Mesa, AZ is
another recipient, getting $12 million to build 48 electric
vehicle chargers for various vehicle sizes, charging docks
for E bikes and E scooters, and solar canomies for electricity
generation at these stations. Now, all EV charges constructed
with CFI funds must meet the same minimum standards as those
funded by an EVI, including requirements that they are made
in America. This ensures A consistent and
high quality charging experience across the nation.
In the current US, landscape has over 148,000 public charging
ports spread across approximately 56,000 charging
stations. The ambitious goal is to triple
these numbers by 20-30 with the new grant money kick starting
this initiative now. This initiative reflects a
transformative step in EU s s approach to transportation and
by investing in EV infrastructure and focusing on
accessibility, the Biden Harris administration is responding to
environmental concerns but also fostering economic growth
inequality. It's a significant move towards
a cleaner, more inclusive future in the United States for
transportation. Hey, thank you so much for
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