Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg testified before Congress on July 19, 2022 about transportation infrastructure.
During the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing, Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia’s 7th district asked Secretary Buttigieg about the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program and how the Administration has prioritized the charging experience for consumers “to ensure it’s easy, consistent, and mirrors their current experience at the pump.”
Buttigieg responded, “There’s tons of opportunity but a lot of challenge in getting it right for this electric vehicle infrastructure especially because we’ve not had something like this at scale in the US. It’s very different from the infrastructure for fuel and gas cars. We need to be mindful of that as we go.”
You can imagine, if you are taking a road trip and every third or fourth gas pump didn’t work.
Pete Buttigieg
One thing we are thinking about in particular in regard to the consumer experience is making sure that these charging stations are interoperable and are available. You can imagine, if you are taking a road trip and every third or fourth gas pump didn’t work, or if you had to be a member of a particular gas station chain in order to even use the pump. That would not be a positive or efficient experience. In some places, in some cases in the past, that’s what some EV drivers have faced. So we need to make sure that we are not only getting the dots in the right places on the maps, but paying attention to the quality as well as the quantity of these EV charging stations, especially those that would be supported with taxpayer funds.
Thank you Representative Bourdeaux for asking about the consumers’ experience at EV charging stations. And thank you Secretary Buttigieg for assuring Congress that the Joint Office is mindful of the quality of the EV charging stations that will be installed as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. Reliability of public charging is an important issue. I look forward to seeing how the Administration will ensure accountability.
See also: EV Charger Reliability Standards Report Issued by Maryland PSC Work Group