Join the BlueGreen Alliance
Help us identify ways to turn today’s environmental challenges into job-creating and economic opportunities!Federal dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) create a historic opportunity not only to support the transition to cleaner vehicles, but also to invest in local communities via new career pathways, job training, and manufacturing investments.
The Challenge
Electric vehicle (EV) market share is expected to reach 40% by 2030. Considering the transportation sector is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, decarbonization and electrification of the transportation sector is essential in addressing the climate crisis.
In addition to making EVs more affordable, access to charging infrastructure will be needed for mass adoption of EVs. While roughly 80% of EV charging occurs in drivers’ homes, public charging is essential for those who do not have a dedicated parking spot where they can charge at home—as is the case for many urban residents and residents of multifamily buildings. Limited access to public charging adds an additional barrier to EV adoption for those not living in single-family homes. This is a particular barrier for lower-income households that tend to live in apartments. Without significant government investment in EV charging infrastructure, this barrier will slow the adoption of EVs—even as the cost of EVs declines—and hamper the transition to electric transportation nationwide.
The Opportunity
Federal dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) create a historic opportunity not only to support the transition to cleaner vehicles, but also to invest in local communities via new career pathways, job training, and manufacturing investments.
In the U.S., public EV charging infrastructure is centered in large cities and wealthy, predominantly white neighborhoods—where EV drivers are also concentrated. Many low-income, Black, and Latine households are in charging deserts without access to public EV charging stations. In cities like Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, New York, Oakland, Orlando, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., there is less access to charging stations in Black and Hispanic majority census tracts compared to white majority tracts.
Public charging is also essential for those traveling long distances in a single trip that exceeds their EV’s range. “Range anxiety”—drivers’ concern about running out of charge due to lack of availability of charging infrastructure—is a top concern for potential EV consumers. To support 2030 EV estimated growth, researchers report that the United States needs to install 900,000 more public Level 2 charging ports that get 10 to 20 miles of range per hour of charging, and 180,000 direct current fast chargers (DCFCs) that get 60 to 80 miles of range per 20 minutes of charging. This is expected to require approximately $28 billion in investment from 2021 to 2030.
Key Facts
$5 billion The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) includes $5 billion in funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI), which lays the groundwork for a nationwide public EV charging network. (Source)
$28 billion To support the estimated growth of EVs, it is estimated that a $28 billion investment in charging infrastructure will be required from 2021 to 2030. (Source)
500,000 Charging Stations To support the estimated growth of EVs, it is estimated that a $28 billion investment in charging infrastructure will be required from 2021 to 2030. (Source)