White House unveils plan to speed up national EV charging network

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Vice President Kamala Harris visited Maryland on Monday and unveiled details of President Joe Biden's strategy to build a large, nationwide charging network for electric vehicles.

Initially, the network would have 500,000 chargers and "make EVs accessible to all Americas for both local and long-distance trips," the White House said in a statement.

The new bipartisan infrastructure plan includes $5 billion in funding for states. The secretary of transportation can then issue grants to help states fill gaps in the network.

Officials said a new office between the Energy and Transportation departments will be tasked with implementing the charging network and other electrification provisions. The office is expected to be formally created on Tuesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Monday next to an electric vehicle during a visit to Brandywine, Md. Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI

The White House said the current network has about 100,000 public chargers and an assortment of different plug types, payment options and hardware hookups.

Together, the investments mark the United States' largest-ever investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Harris made the announcement on Monday at an electric vehicle maintenance facility in Brandywine, Md.

In August, Biden set a goal of making half of all new vehicles in the United States electric by 2030.

"President Biden, American families, automakers, and autoworkers agree: the future of transportation is electric," the White House added. "The electric car future is cleaner, more equitable, more affordable, and an economic opportunity to support good-paying, union jobs across American supply chains as automakers continue investing in manufacturing clean vehicles and the batteries that power them."