Electric Car Chargers Catching Up to Gas Stations in California
Despite years of innovation and research, automakers in the United States are still struggling with the lack of charging infrastructure. However, California, a leader in electric vehicles, doesn’t see this as a big issue for its residents.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced that the state now has a whopping XX charging stations, with a total of 105,000 public or shared private electric charging stations and 500,000 home chargers. In addition, California has approved a plan to implement an extra 40,000 electric vehicle chargers statewide, with a previous investment of $1.8 billion in its zero-emission vehicle infrastructure.
Charging infrastructure is a major obstacle to the growth of electric vehicle sales, with the U.S. Energy Secretary himself having trouble finding an electric charger. Lack of access could pose a challenge to California’s plan to phase out the sale of new gasoline-only cars by 2035, with a mandate requiring 35% of new cars to be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2026.
To enhance the public charging experience, some automakers have adopted Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS). Ford became the first major automaker to sign an agreement with Tesla, providing their customers access to over 15,000 Tesla Superchargers across North America. Additionally, a joint venture including Stellantis, GM, and Mercedes-Benz aims to launch the XXX, with a goal of having at least 30,000 charging stations in North America by 2030.
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