Seven major automakers announced this week that they are joining to build a large North American electric vehicle (EV) charging network in an effort to get more of the population to consider shifting away from gas-powered vehicles, the Associated Press reports.
General Motors, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, and Stellantis say the network of fast-chargers will rival Tesla’s and will nearly double the number of quick-charging plugs in the U.S. and Canada.
The companies said they will share in a multibillion-dollar investment to build “high power” charging stations with at least 30,000 plugs in urban areas and along travel corridors by 2030. The dramatic move is intended to allay fears that chargers won’t be available for long-distance travel.
There are currently just under 8,700 direct-current fast-charging stations in the U.S. and Canada, with nearly 36,000 charging plugs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Even with 30,000 more plugs, the U.S. will need far more chargers. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that 182,000 fast chargers will be needed by 2030.
Fast chargers can get a battery to 80% of its capacity in 20 minutes to one hour, making them optimal for travel corridors and in some cases comparable to the time it takes to fill a car with gasoline. They’re much quicker than 240-volt “Level 2” chargers that can take hours to get a battery to a full charge.
The new network is expected to have 10 to 20 charging plugs per station, meaning there would be a minimum of 1,500 stations and a maximum of about 3,000.
The network formed by the automakers would be public and open to all electric vehicle owners. It will have connectors for both Tesla’s North American Charging Standard plugs as well as the Combined Charging System plugs used by other automakers.
The automakers said they would use renewable energy as much as possible to power the chargers, and they will be in convenient locations with canopies and amenities such as restrooms, food service and stores nearby.
In the U.S., electric vehicle sales continued to rise during the first half of the year to more than 557,000 vehicles, or 7.2% of all new vehicle sales. The EV share of the market last year was 5.8% with just over 807,000 sales. Industry analysts predict continued growth in EV sales for the next decade or more. Cox Automotive is forecasting that EV sales will grow to over 1 million for the first time this year.
