The infrastructure law passed in November 2021 had set aside $7.5 billion for President Biden’s goal of having 500,000 chargers (individual plugs, not stations) across the country. At best, Michalek sees a public-private partnership for building a robust nationwide charging network. The Biden administration has promised to install plugs all over rural areas, while companies building charging stations across America will have a strong incentive to fill the country’s largest cities and most popular thoroughfares. After all, companies like Electrify America, EVgo and ChargePoint charge customers per kilowatt-hour of energy they use, just like utilities do.
Most new electric vehicles promise at least 250 miles on a full charge, and that number should continue to rise. The further cars can go without charging, the less anxious drivers will queue up waiting for a charging point to become available. But make no mistake, says Michalek: a country with electric cars needs an abundance of plugs, and soon.