Electrify America Aims to Double EV Charging Network by 2025
Today, concerns over climate change and solutions continue to dominate discussions in various industries, including the automotive sector. For that reason, most automakers have plans to electrify a sizeable portion of their fleets over the next 10 years with several EV models. Additionally, some car manufacturers are announcing goals for fully electrified lineups within five years.
It is also interesting that buyers may not have to wait for long since multiple pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will debut by the end of 2024 if everything goes according to plan. Additionally, to meet the demand that hundreds of new EV models and thousands of EV drivers will create on the road, Electrify America aims to double its charging station network by 2025.
How various manufacturers are ramping up EV production to electrify America
Volvo Group
Some car manufacturers remain vague concerning the timing of electric vehicles. However, Volvo clearly outlines that it plans to build only pure electric automobiles by the end of the decade.
Honda Motor Co.
The Honda Motor Company targets 2040 as the year when its sales will be zero-emission, electrified vehicles. 40% of sales by 2030 and 80% of sales by 2035 is the projected ramp-up to this goal.
Volkswagen Group
Since its diesel emissions scandal dubbed “Dieselgate” by most observers, Volkswagen continues its commitment to becoming an EV-focused auto manufacturer. The firm indicates that it will launch 60 hybrids and 70 purely electric vehicles by the end of the decade and that many are already in production. Additionally, the Volkswagen Group is the automaker behind Electrify America, which we’ll cover in more detail shortly.
BMW
The company has teased concept EVs, including the Vision, i4, and iX, and has plans to introduce electric versions of the X1, 5 Series, and 7 Series SUV. Also, BMW confirms that it will bring roughly a dozen new EVs to the market by 2025.
Subaru
In early 2021 the automaker announces that it will offer some form of electrification on all its models by the middle of the decade. Whether this means PHEV model options or EVs remains to be seen.
Electrify America’s plan
Electrify America is an electric vehicle charging network funded with Volkswagen’s cash as punishment for its emissions cheating scandal. The organization plans recently announced plans to double its EV charging network throughout Canada and the United States. Under the new Boost Plan, Electrify America will have 10,000 individual chargers and over 1,800 fast-charging stations in Canada and the U.S. by the end of 2025.
These expansion plans will also prioritize adding more 150 and 350 kW chargers that significantly reduce charging times. Electrify America expects to have approximately 3,500 individual chargers and 800 charging stations by the end of this year alone. Also, the expansion will allow Electrify America to enter new markets, including Vermont, Hawaii, Wyoming, North Dakota, West Virginia, and South Dakota. Eventually, the firm will have a presence in 49 states and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.).
Beyond that, Green Car Reports states that Electrify America has plans to install enhanced lighting and canopies at specific charging stations. That way, recharging on snowy or rainy nights will hopefully be more pleasant and feasible. On the other hand, Canada will have over 500 chargers and 100 charging stations by the end of 2025, whose location will be near popular amenities, metropolitan centers, and major highways.
Additionally, there will be an addition of charging stations in Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and New Brunswick as part of the expansion plan. When that happens, EVs can travel from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Victoria, British Columbia, without recharging challenges.
The feasibility of Electrify America’s 2025 goal
As automakers ramp up manufacturing electric cars that can charge faster and go further, the concern is that those who wish to acquire EVs may have to wait until better, faster charging infrastructure is in place. The latest EVs with ranges around 300 miles per charge can accept power faster than previous models. However, most charging stations cannot keep up with the advanced technology of such cars.
According to the Department of Energy, even with about 42,000 public charging stations available in the U.S., only 5,000 of these are considered direct-current fast chargers. As such, you will need roughly eight hours to fully charge a longer-range battery in other EV charging stations. When developing incentives that encourage governments and firms to establish more charging stations, authorities will also need to consider the high cost of fast-charging stations. Suffice it to say, Electrify America has a lot of work ahead of them.
However, there is a glimmer of hope since, by 2030, the U.S. president’s administration targets to have 500,000 charging stations nationwide. That will go a long way toward making the adoption of EVs more attractive and accessible than ever.
RELATED: Volkswagen’s Multi-Billion Dollar Electrify America EV Charging Network
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