Pete Buttigieg defends controversial EV program costs amid backlash

In 2021, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg initiated the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program to establish a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the United States. The program's budget totals $7.5 billion, with $5 billion designated for constructing charging stations along highways and $2.5 billion allocated for grants. As part of the Biden Administration's broader strategy, an important climate regulation was enacted in 2022, aiming for most new passenger vehicles sold to be all-electric or hybrid by 2032. Despite this ambitious agenda, Buttigieg has faced criticism from figures such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr., who question the financial implications of the initiative, highlighting concerns about the return on investment given the substantial expenditure on a limited number of charging stations. Buttigieg countered the critiques, stating that the quoted figures were misleading and clarified that the chargers are being developed by individual states, not the federal government. As of October 2024, 20 NEVI-funded chargers were operational across nine states, marking the early stages of this multi-billion dollar project, which is expected to ramp up significantly in the latter part of the decade. Buttigieg emphasized that despite the need for time to launch such an extensive program, progress is being made and the states involved are on track to meet the goals set out for EV infrastructure development. The overall initiative reflects the urgent need to modernize the country’s aging electrical grid, which has not been updated for over 25 years, in light of a projected surge in electricity demand for EVs. Princeton University estimates that the U.S. will require up to 3,360 percent more electricity to fulfill the president's objectives, with EVs anticipated to drive an increase in electricity demand in the transportation sector by five to ten times by 2035.