In an effort to encourage passenger and semi-truck operators to invest in battery electric vehicles, the current administration plans to invest heavily in new charging stations. According to recent reports, the White House wants charging stations installed every 50 miles across the country, a goal that has been met with skepticism in remote and rural areas.
“There are plenty of places in Montana and other states here out West where it’s well more than 50 miles between gas stations,” Montana Department of Transportation official Rob Stapley reportedly said. “Even if there’s an exit or a place for people to pull off, the other big question is: Is there anything on the electrical grid at a location or even anywhere close to make that viable?”
Slightly more than 47,000 charging stations are in place across the country, with California, the Northeast, and Oklahoma possessing densities between 50 and 300 miles in some places. Top-tier electric vehicles can typically hold a charge between 300-500 miles, including the BEV Nikola Tre semi-truck, among others.
To close the recharging gap, the current administration reportedly proposed investing $5 billion taxpayer dollars into jump-starting a national EV-charging network. States such as Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, and Colorado, have raised concerns about meeting the guidelines given vast stretches without utility infrastructure. But the process is already in play as $615 million has been earmarked for a Phase 1 rollout under the $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package. These and other states are already asking for waivers to the every-50-mile rule because they lack power lines in desolate areas.
Other seemingly untenable rules task states with positioning an EV charging station within one mile of a highway. For example, I-90 in Wyoming has 70 mile stretch between Buffalo and Gillette that does not have a single gas station or truck stop that could even apply for charging station funds.
“There’s physically nothing there. We think the return on investment is pretty tough,” Wyoming Department of Transportation director Luke Reiner reportedly said. “We do respect the fact that nobody wants to run out of fuel, and we don’t want you to run out of fuel or electricity either.”
Reiner reportedly suggested investing in EV roadside assistance in remote areas without electricity.
Although transitioning to electric trucks appears impractical given maximum travel distances, and infrastructure challenges, advanced technology appears to be catching up. Reports indicate new Tesla Mega-chargers can bring a BEV semi to 80 percent charge in 30 minutes, delivering another 400 miles. Tesla also indicates its mega-stations can utilize solar energy to accomplish the task.
Sources:
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MCRFPUS2&f=M
Electric trucks and cars is impractical period just like the biden administration!
If half of all vehicles were electric, wouldn’t that put more of a strain on power grid, we have hard enough time paying the fuel surcharge on our home electric bills now, diesel will always be the cheapest and cleanest fuel, just need leader to stop filling there pockets with new investments
Just more politically-driven nonsense. The roads are terrible, but the spenders are concerned about electricity for the stupid electric vehicles.