Column: Dissecting the EV charging challenge

In this week’s pages, we explore America’s charging challenge.

Constructing public charging infrastructure for what will be hundreds of millions of electric vehicles is a time-consuming, complicated process that requires coordination and investment across sectors.

Many players, including automakers, charging companies, retailers, utility companies and other stakeholders, are coming together to develop a convenient, reliable charging map for EV drivers.

Automotive News spoke with dozens of industry participants and observers during the past two months to identify the hurdles and solutions to deploying charging infrastructure.

• My articles highlight the challenge and urgency of charger deployment with buy-in across sectors, the process for choosing charger locations, collaboration between automakers and charging companies and alternatives to standard public charging.
• Laurence Iliff explains how Tesla secured EV dominance and built its global Supercharger network, freeing its customers from range anxiety. Now, it’s opening up a portion of the network to everyone.
• Molly Boigon explores how restaurants and retailers that host chargers are seeing financial benefits, even as the charging companies face a long road toward profitability.
• Lindsay VanHulle visits Young Chevrolet-Cadillac in Owosso, Mich., to learn how the store is working with General Motors to install chargers in its community. GM is targeting 40,000 Level 2 chargers in communities across the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2026, in partnership with its dealerships.
• Pete Bigelow shares his experience renting a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz. “The Hertz experience can bring both enthusiasm for EVs and apprehension over charging complications,” he writes.

An EV world is imminent. If leaders want to promise consumers that they can go the distance with these vehicles, easy public charging is crucial. We hope the industry will move quickly and pragmatically to ensure a smooth transition.