Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm wrapped up her four-day electric vehicle (EV) road trip earlier this summer with a stark reminder — that the Biden administration must continue to invest in reliable EV charging capabilities to ensure the long-term success of its clean energy goals.
The tour aimed to emphasize the large-scale funding investments the White House has put towards green energy and electric cars, but Granholm’s team encountered a number of EV charging problems along the way. On the final stop in Tennessee, the team experienced an issue where a purportedly “affordable” Chevy Bolt charged at one-third the rate it should have.
Furthermore, at a stop in Grovetown, GA, the team found a charger with a dead black screen. It wasn’t the only time charging issues posed a major problem. At one point, an enraged family called the police when Granholm’s staff attempted to reserve an EV charging spot by parking a gas-powered car there — while they traveled with a baby in the sweltering heat.
Though these technical glitches are commonplace for the average electric car driver, Granholm weighed in on the issue, noting how the government’s investments in reliable EV charging is necessary for traveling long distances.
For members of the Biden administration, this problem has been felt for some time. Over a decade of lagging behind international competitors in the clean energy transition, President Biden’s $7 billion plan to build EV charging infrastructure is expected to turn the tide and make road trips with electric cars more feasible.
The private sector is also making its own ambitious investments, creating millions of clean energy jobs, and putting more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans.
The push towards clean energy has stimulated a number of electric vehicles for the consumer market, such as the Chevy Bolt, lending credibility to the idea of an electric transition as infrastructure demands will need to rise.
To date, the Department of Energy has awarded funds to each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to help pave the way. But for Secretary Granholm’s trip (and many other EV drivers) to demonstrate reliability, more needs to be done to make EV road trips as commonplace as those taken on gasoline-powered cars.
