The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Transportation (DOT) announced the appointment of Gabe Klein, the former commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation and director of the Washington, D.C., District Department of Transportation, to lead the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
As executive director, Klein will oversee the deployment of $7.5 billion in grants under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to build a national electric vehicle (EV) charging network.
The Charge Ahead Partnership, of which NATSO is a member, congratulated Klein in a public statement, and urged him to work with private businesses, including truckstops, travel centers and fuel retailers, to incentivize private investment in electric vehicle charging stations.
“As Mr. Klein evaluates the many options for advancing the Administration’s goal of building out a nationwide network of EV charging stations, we encourage him to seek solutions that encompass a market-based approach and ensure a level playing field for private sector retailers seeking to invest in EV charging,” said Jay Smith, Executive Director of the Charge Ahead Partnership.
“Specifically, we hope that Mr. Klein will … incentivize a level playing field in the development of the EV charging network. Public utilities currently have an unfair advantage over this new marketplace as they pass along the cost of building utility owned and operated charging stations onto monthly customers, while also levying significant demand charges on private retailers. We encourage Mr. Klein to work with us on solutions to these challenges,” Smith said.
NATSO thinks that the existing nationwide network of more than 150,000 fuel retailers, including truckstops and travel plazas, represent the most efficient way to build out a safe and reliable EV charging network.
NATSO members are encouraged to join the Charge Ahead Partnership.
Charge Ahead Partnership is a coalition of businesses, associations and individuals that share the common goal of efficiently and effectively developing a charging network for electric vehicles (EVs) across the United States.
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