In late 2021, the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act was passed, creating the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI), which supports the creation of a national fast-charging network. There is a lot to do, e.g a new study from the Great Plains Institute shows that more than 1,000 direct current fast charging (DCFC) stations are needed to meet the program’s goals.
The study looked at non-Tesla DCFC stations, of which there are 4,943 in the contiguous 48 states. Among them, only 509 stations meet the requirements defined in the NEVI program, which include:
- Charging stations must have at least four DCFC ports with CCS connectors and be capable of charging four electric cars simultaneously at 150 kW each with a total output of 600 kW or more.
- Stations must be spaced no more than 50 miles apart on designated corridors and within one mile of the corridor.
An additional 1,104 charging stations are needed to have an adequate charging station every 50 miles on interstate highways, including the first phase of 1,084 charging stations on highways designated as alternative fuel corridors for electric vehicles and an additional 20 charging stations along other corridors. Alternative fuel corridors are proposed and recognized by states Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as part of a network of alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen, propane, electric vehicle charging, and natural gas.
While the study says more charging stations are needed, it points to the possibility that the 4,434 substandard chargers could be upgraded to meet the requirements. It also identifies 42,212 Level 2 public chargers in the country, but did not include them in the data due to their long charging times.
The program allocated 5 billion dollars and puts the construction of the charging network in the hands of the states. States are expected to use NEVI money to build chargers on designated corridors before moving on to other highways. Program regulations note that the state may propose other non-designated areas, but designated corridors must first demonstrate that they meet the program’s two criteria. Even with this effort, chargers placed every 50 miles won’t meet demand in high-traffic areas, the study notes.
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