SHOPSMART AUTOS – CUSTOMER INFORMATION – So Does Austin’s Need For Charging Stations (PT.1)
As Texas gasoline prices hit their highest level in seven years and the appeal of electric vehicles reaches a wider range of drivers, the public and private sectors are racing to build networks of EV charging stations. And they’re looking to Washington where a bipartisan infrastructure deal could add 500,000 charging stations across the U.S. by 2030. The number of charging stations “has been keeping pace with the number of new vehicles being sold generally speaking,” said Norman Hajjar, an executive with the EV data company PlugShare. But he warned of “pinch points” that could emerge if charging infrastructure fails to keep up with demand. “We’re going to see a huge mushroom of new electric vehicles in the next 10 years, so there’s where the rubber needs to meet the road,” Hajjar said. The Austin-area has almost 700 electric vehicle charging locations right now, according to PlugShare. Almost all locations have multiple charging stations.ChargePoint runs the largest network of charging stations in the U.S. Austin Energy operates 300 of those charging locations — a total of 1,200 charging stations overall — and the publicly owned utility is adding about 200 more charging stations per year. ChargePoint, which runs the nation’s largest network of charging stations, is working to add charging infrastructure to more than 4,000 travel plazas and fuel stops in rural communities nationwide by the end of the decade. By that time, electric vehicles will make up 29% of all vehicles sold, according to estimates by the energy research provider BloombergNEF. Americans are being increasingly drawn to electric vehicles as automakers widen their offerings at a range of price points and consumers learn about the improved driving experience: instant power and fast acceleration, a smoother ride, a quieter cabin and lower cost of ownership over the lifetime of the vehicle. The 2021 Mini Cooper SE starts at $30,750 before a federal tax credit of $7,500. The 2021 Nissan Leaf comes to $32,620 before the same tax credit. Ford announced the base model of its all-electric F-150 Lightning will cost less than $40,000 when it goes on sale in early 2022. “I think based on what the reach and capabilities of the Ford F-150 Lighting and the pricing, we could see another doubling of EV sales in Austin … almost overnight,” said Karl Popham, who manages electric vehicle infrastructure for Austin Energy. He said that hasn’t happened since the release of the Tesla Model 3.
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