Gov't Spent $7.5 Billion on EV Chargers 2 Years Ago and HOW MANY Have Been Built So Far?

Doug P. | 6:17 PM on December 27, 2023

You no doubt remember the "bipartisan infrastructure bill" from early on in the Biden presidency that came at the cost of about a trillion dollars and was supported by several Republican senators as well as some House GOPers.

The spending included several billion dollars for electric vehicle chargers. How many of those have been built so far? Reason, citing a Politico report, has the number (it's almost like this is all a sham):

Congress spent $7.5 billion on electric vehicle chargers two years ago. How many have been built? One! pic.twitter.com/AAU4hNd5om
— reason (@reason) December 27, 2023

Why are we not surprised by this?

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included $7.5 billion to build 500,000 public charging stations across the country. Under the program, states can qualify for as much as 80 percent of the cost to build chargers and bring them online. But as Politico reported this week, not a single charger funded by the program is yet operational.
It's the latest setback as Biden attempts to change consumer preference by force rather than allowing the free market to innovate its way there.
[...]
The federal program is off to a slow start: Politico reports that while more than $2 billion has been given out, only two states—Ohio and Pennsylvania—have actually broken ground on chargers, while just six others have awarded contracts. Fewer than half of U.S. states have even submitted a proposal for funds.