Staff Reports
Pete Buttigieg, the United States Transportation Secretary and a big fan of electric vehicles (EVs), recently admitted that he struggles to find reliable EV charging stations while he’s on the road. And let’s be honest, that’s pretty ironic coming from someone who is supposed to be promoting EV adoption. So much for practicing what you preach, Mr. Buttigieg.
Buttigieg voiced his frustration to the Wall Street Journal, highlighting the fact that many of the more than 6,000 charging stations are “temporarily unavailable.” He shared how he’s had the not-so-pleasant experience of pulling into an EV charging station, only to find it out of service. Imagine if that happened every time you pulled into a gas station! It’s clear that the current state of EV charging infrastructure has a long way to go before it can be considered reliable.
In response to this issue, President Biden’s administration announced a $100 million plan to repair existing but non-operational EV charging infrastructure. While their intentions may be good, one has to wonder if this is just throwing taxpayer money at a problem that should be left to the free market. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a humble conservative journalist.
It’s worth noting that according to a recent study, Tesla charging stations are the most reliable, with only a four percent failure rate. On the other hand, chargers outside of the Tesla network had a whopping 20 percent failure rate. Looks like Tesla might just know a thing or two about building reliable charging infrastructure.
Overall, it’s clear that the current state of EV charging infrastructure is nowhere near where it needs to be. And while it’s great to see the administration taking some action, it’s hard not to be skeptical about their ability to actually fix the problem. So for now, if you’re driving an EV, make sure you have a backup plan because you never know when you might be left high and dry, waiting for a charge.
