Democrat calls only 7 EV-charging stations deployed under US program 'pathetic'
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just seven electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations have begun operating with funding from a $5-billion U.S. government program created in 2021, marking "pathetic" progress, a Democratic senator said on Wednesday.
Automakers and others say drastically expanding EV-charging stations is crucial to the wide deployment of electric vehicles, which are part of the Biden Administration's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The seven EV-charging stations deployed to date under a 2021 U.S. program consist of a few dozen total charging ports, said Shailen Bhatt, who heads the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), at a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee hearing.
"That is pathetic. We're now three years into this ... That is a vast administrative failure," said Senator Jeff Merkley. "Something is terribly wrong and it needs to be fixed."
Bhatt said he too is frustrated with slow deployment and said the agency is working with states on their plans to deploy EV chargers.
