AAM Applauds Made in America Standard for EV Chargers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Highway Administration on Wednesday announced new standards for a Made in America national network of electric vehicle chargers.

Its final plan for compliance with the Build America, Buy America Act mandates that, effective immediately, all federally funded EV chargers be built in the United States. Additionally, the FHWA’s guidelines require that final assembly and all manufacturing processes for any iron or steel charger enclosures or housing occur in the United States. At least 55% of the cost of all EV charger components must be Made in America by July 2024.

“The Biden administration’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure announcement represents significant progress in realizing a cleaner future that’s Made in America,” said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.

“The results are already clear: Manufacturers are investing in the United States, creating jobs and cultivating a domestic supply chain that would not have been possible otherwise,” Paul said. “Made in America EV chargers will no longer be a rhetorical policy aspiration but a reality.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $7.5 billion in EV charging, complementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives for EV battery production and expanded tax credits for the purchase of EVs. Through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, a $5 billion fund, the Biden administration has committed to building a national network of 500,000 Made in America EV chargers by 2030.

“We need more Buy America implementation plans that offer specific time lines and market signals, as this announcement does,” Paul said.

He emphasized that Buy America provisions leverage infrastructure spending into U.S. economic activity, well-paid jobs, stronger supply chains, reduced reliance on imports from foreign adversaries and a cleaner economy.

“We must also ensure that the guidance remains free of loopholes that undermine the congressional intent of the Build America, Buy America aspects of the infrastructure law,” Paul said.

Since President Joe Biden assumed office, more than $100 billion has been privately invested in EV, battery and charger manufacturing.

There is widespread bipartisan support for Buy America policies, the organization says. According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult for Alliance of American Manufacturing, 83% of voters agree that taxpayer dollars should go toward infrastructure projects that utilize American-made projects.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.