Buttigieg touts progress in goal for half of new car sales to be electric vehicles

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Following an announcement of private investment plan for 30,000 new electric vehicle chargers across the United States, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said government investment has paved the way private companies to produce more electric cars.

“Federal investment to try and make up the difference where markets are still getting ready, and then the private sector, private industry, needs to do the rest,” Buttigieg said.

Leading global electric vehicle manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors and BMW have joined together to build 30,000 electric vehicle chargers across the country.

“When you fill up your gas car with gas you’re counting on private companies to set up for that,” Buttigieg said. “We really need private industry to play more of a roll in investing in and running these electric vehicle charging stations.”

The government has set aside $7.5 billion for states to create their own networks of EV chargers, but the Biden administration wants to guarantee things like price transparency, and guaranteeing a charger from one company works for another company’s vehicles.

“They are going to meet standards that we have set, and they’ll have to in order to qualify for federal support.”

Buttigieg said if the U.S. does not take the lead on electric vehicles, someone else will.

“There is a race, whether people realize it or not,” Buttigieg said. “Where in the middle of a heated race to win the future of electric vehicles.”

The federal money for EV charging networks comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

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