U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg defended the Biden administration’s push to construct half a million electric vehicle charging stations along U.S. highways by 2030 after being questioned over how just eight have been built since President Biden signed the legislation two years ago.
Buttigieg appeared Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," where he tried to ease doubts about reaching Biden’s goal of 500,000 chargers by the end of the decade when asked why it wasn’t happening more quickly.
"Now, in order to do a charger, it's more than just plugging, a small device into the ground," the secretary said. "There's utility work, and this is also really a new category of federal investment. But we've been working with each of the 50 states. Every one of them is getting $4 million to do this work, engaging them in the first handful, again by 2030, 500,000 chargers."
"And the very first handful of chargers are now already being physically built," Buttigieg continued. "But again, that's the absolute very, very beginning stages of the construction to come."
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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the massive infrastructure package Biden signed in 2021, earmarks $7.5 billion for EV charging programs while the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act expands tax credits for EVs and charger installations.
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To date, only eight have been built since Biden signed the legislation, according to reporting by Autoweek.
Buttigieg maintained that "the EV revolution will happen with or without us," and said Biden is focused on making sure that the EV revolution is led by America, and not a competitor like China.
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He said the charging stations are just one factor that will help Americans transition from gas-powered cars to electric. The other, he said, was lowering the cost of EVs for the consumer.
Fox News Digital’s Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.
