Feds Announce $100 Million Toward EV Charge Stations, But Is That Enough?

DALLAS – (WBAP/KLIF) – Under Secretary of Transportation Carlos Monje was in Dallas Tuesday, celebrating federal money that will help place more electric vehicle chargers across Texas. Monje announced $100 million in federal funding for Texas.

Some of that money will be used to build 100 new charging stations across North Texas, as part of President Biden’s goal to build a network of a half million of them nationwide by the year 2030. Automaker General Motors has set a goal to be fully electric by 2035.

Car Pro Show host Jerry Reynolds, though, says 100 new charging stations does not begin to cover the number needed across North Texas or all of the state, and says he believes the greatest need for more charging stations is in rural areas. He says the level of the charging station is important, as what amounts to different strengths of chargers can cause significant time to electrically “gas up” the car – time is something few have while out on the road or on a long trip. And perhaps most significantly, upkeep of the chargers. Reynolds says he’s often run into charging stations that simply don’t work.

Reynolds suggests at this point, car buyers interested in EV’s consider a hybrid electric/gas model. That way, the vehicle is available and ready to go in an emergency, or able to switch to gas if one finds a charging station unavailable or inoperable.