National Electric Highway Coalition

History

2021:50 U.S. Energy Companies Start Building National Electric Vehicle Charging Station Network

On December 7, 2021, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) announced that more than 50 power enterprises USA in the united to accelerate construction charging stations electric vehicles along the country's highways. The new organization was called the National Electric Highway Coalition.

According to the newsletter, together companies are striving to "fill the gaps in the charging infrastructure on the main transport corridors." Each organization that is a member of the coalition must "conscientiously" create a network of fast charging electric vehicles on its territory "using any approach they consider necessary" by the end of 2023. According to EEI, the United States will need more than 100 thousand fast charging ports for more than 22 million electric vehicles, which are expected to pass along American roads by 2030.

50 US energy companies begin construction of national electric vehicle charging station network

At the end of 2021, approximately 1.8 million electric vehicles were registered in the United States, which can be charged at only 46 thousand charging stations throughout the country. In total, about 5,600 of them, according to the Department of Energy, are fast charging stations with direct current, which can charge the battery of an electric car up to 80% in less than an hour. Easy access to fast charging stations can contribute to the wider distribution of electric vehicles among customers.

This is also facilitated by the new policies pursued by the Joe Biden administration. In August 2021, Joe Biden signed a decree, signed an order that by 2030 half of all new cars sold in the United States be electric or hybrid cars. To meet the growing need for charging electric vehicles, the previously adopted infrastructure law provides for an investment of $7.5 billion in the national network of electric vehicle chargers. According to Kellen Schefter, director of electric transport at EEI, this could benefit energy utilities that want to work with the United States to get those funds.

We are very pleased with the additional funding that will come from the federal government to support public infrastructure, we think that all this is necessary, and even more, "says Schefter.

In addition to the delays associated with the issuance of permits, in the past the process of connecting new charging stations to the network slowed down the deployment of infrastructure for electric vehicles. But energy companies have an advantage: they already know what the existing grid capacity is in any potential new location for a charging station. This information can help the coalition smooth out some of the obstacles faced by other initiatives.^[1]

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