Millions more American drivers need to trade the pump for the plug for the US to play its part in curbing the climate crisis.

The problem? Many consumers have major concerns about how to do so safely, efficiently, and affordably.

Surveys and studies aplenty suggest that the recent lull in EV demand is partly due to car buyers’ hesitancy around all things batteries and charging. Take a recent J.D. Power survey: For the first time since 2021, consumers said they were less likely to consider an EV than they were the previous year—and the top five reasons were “mostly related to charging.”

An S&P Global Mobility analysis pointed the finger at range and charging concerns to help explain the recent surge in hybrid sales. And the US is lagging behind Europe and China in part because it hasn’t been expanding its fast-charging network as quickly, per JATO Dynamics.

Despite all that, EV sales are still growing; they were up more than 50% YoY last year. But the picture hasn’t been rosy for the EV sector lately: Market leader Tesla is facing some of its biggest challenges in years. EV startups are struggling. Legacy automakers are pumping the brakes on electrification. And slowing demand is one of the main culprits.

Industry stakeholders know that establishing reliable charging infrastructure is a key piece of this puzzle, and the US is in the midst of a major wave of investment that aims to do exactly that.

Consumers are less anxious about battery range than they used to be—but in order for adoption to speed up, they need to know where and how to charge, and they need to have a pleasant experience, K.C. Boyce, Escalent’s VP of automotive and mobility and energy, told Tech Brew.

“If they know that there’s a place to charge,” he said, “they’re more willing to make that leap.”

Keep reading here.—JG

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Chinese EVs priced as low as $10,000 might spark envy for Americans shelling out, on average, more than $50,000 for a plug-in car—and now it’s even less likely that these lower-priced models will make their way to the US.

That’s if new tariffs announced last month by the Biden administration do their job. And, amping up the geopolitical drama, the European Commission recently followed the US in hiking up its own tariffs on Chinese EVs.

Chinese EV makers don’t currently have much of a foothold in the US market. But manufacturers like BYD and NIO have established themselves as dominant forces thanks to the innovative products they’re selling at incredibly affordable prices, aided by state subsidies.

These companies have started to compete in Europe and are investing heavily in Mexico, prompting concerns among US automakers that low-priced Chinese EVs could one day flood the market—potentially undercutting both domestic models and the Biden administration’s agenda.

Keep reading here.—JG

Another legislative attempt at reviving the Affordable Connectivity Program appears to be fizzling.

Sen. Maria Cantwell recently announced that a disagreement with Sen. Ted Cruz has left her Spectrum and National Security Act, which could have infused the program with more cash, floundering.

“I hope my colleagues will stop with obstructing and get back to negotiating on the important legislation that will deliver these national security priorities, and help Americans continue to have access to something as essential as affordable broadband,” she said in a June 18 Senate floor speech.

Cantwell, a Washington State Democrat, introduced the bill in late April, as the ACP was running on fumes. It would’ve renewed the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction off valuable swaths of the airwaves, and in turn, dedicated some of those proceeds to tech development and access programs like the ACP. At its height, the pandemic-era program connected 23 million Americans with discounted internet service.

Cantwell noted in her floor speech that the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of Commerce publicly expressed support for the bill. That wasn’t enough to push the legislation forward, however, after a markup session was postponed for a fourth time.

Cantwell blamed Cruz (R-TX), the Senate Commerce Committee’s ranking member who has his own spectrum auction bill, for obstructing her legislation even after the committee reached bipartisan compromises on its language.

Keep reading here.—KG

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jam your fave tunes
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watch a movie
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