By the end of 2023, Florida’s roads could be home to nearly 232,000 electric cars, making the Sunshine State the second-largest EV market in the U.S. Low electricity costs, or ample daylight for solar power, and even That cities like Miami also have an abundant luxury automobile market. Regardless of the explanation, Florida’s electrical automobile expansion has been hailed as “a symbol of progress” through the nonprofit Electrification Coalition.
That’s no bad outcome for a generation that is increasingly embroiled in bitter, partisan politics — especially in a system where the political system can be very different from alternative EV-heavy playgrounds like California and New York.
Nationwide Electric Car Infrastructure (NEVI) Program
NEVI is a $5 billion program approved through bipartisan infrastructure legislation. It allocates federal funds to states for DC swift charging, which they then turn over to private companies that manufacture the chargers. The system has been criticized for how long it has taken to install chargers, although an increasing number of NEVI-funded plugs are being developed to appear national.
However, politics is coming up regarding EVs in Florida. As the U.S. government aims to make significant investments in the charging network that will lend to EV drivers, Florida is lagging behind the order leaders’ planned decision.
Florida has not yet distributed any existing federal money allocated to develop its DC fast-charging network, as multiple outlets have reported in recent weeks, including Tampa Bay example And Axios, The order earmarks $198 million over five years for chargers under the National Electric Car Infrastructure (NEVI) program, but does not award a single dollar to private companies in the form of grants to install new EV plugs.
This means that companies like ChargePoint, Tesla or even gasoline stations that need to install chargers can’t do so in Florida with federal investment assistance, as they might be able to in other states.
In fact, the Florida Section of Transportation has created a new website that features alternative issues, in addition to EVs, in protest of “the groupthink culture that is the Biden agenda.”
ChargePoint Charging Infrastructure
“Instead of focusing on ways to increase throughput and highway capacity, the (U.S. Department of Transportation) wants to get people out of their cars in some way or another, whether that’s through reducing lanes or imposing a ban on American travelers using electric vehicles.” Regulatory orders have to be issued to compel the The website reads, “Why would the federal government be so insistent on eliminating one of the greatest inventions like the combustion engine?”
The website, “Rhodes Are Not for Politics,” includes a laundry list of culture-war issues that order officials claim are being driven by the Biden management, including “COVID atrocities” and “diversity, equality and Inclusion (DEI).”
However, it also includes an EV bias complaint that mentions the money Ford has lost building out its production base and screams “low consumer demand” despite a record sales event in 2023.
“While the federal government’s obsession with electric vehicles is increasingly becoming an obsession with helping China, Florida is continuing its all-out approach to fighting court challenges and educating Floridians on the importance of these mandates,” The emphasis is on ‘fuel freedom’ and consumer choice,” the website reads online.
FDOT introduced the new website in expletive-filled remarks from Governor Ron DeSantis toward the Biden administration. “Unlike the federal government, the Florida Department of Transportation under my leadership is focused solely on transportation,” DeSantis said. “We listen to Floridians and meet their needs. The streets are not for politics.”
But if Florida avoids that federal money, Sunshine State taxpayers are essentially funding EV chargers in other states like California and New York, said Loren McDonald, CEO of analytics firm EVAdoption.
A NEVI-funded charger opens in Kingston, New York.
“Florida residents pay for NEVI through their federal taxes, so if Florida doesn’t use the money to build charging infrastructure, DeSantis will owe residents of his own state more money than they owe their tax payments,” McDonald said. Cheating to get something in return.” ,
Meanwhile, prospective charging providers that want to serve Florida’s growing EV driver community are getting fed up.
The Charge Ahead Partnership – a coalition of businesses that includes gas station chains like Wawa and Buc-ee’s, eager to expand into the electric “fuel” market – criticized Florida’s still-closed application process for NEVI funding. Is. The group said Florida’s moves come at a time when the US government has already been criticized for its slow rollout of NEVI-funded chargers. (As InsideEVs has previously covered, the DC fast-charger installation process is often hampered by the cumbersome local permitting process, which can vary greatly from community to community.)
Mercedes-Benz Charging Network
But FDOT spokesperson Michael Williams defended the site’s claims in an email to InsideEVs and reiterated that the onus will be on the private sector in Florida to build the charging system.
“When any industry experiences growth, free enterprise, not federal mandates, are the driving force,” Williams said. “Nothing stops the private sector from building our country’s charging network. The total number of EVs on the road today is around 1% of all vehicles registered across the country, ‘low consumer demand’ is an accurate statement.
Aside from the fact that the private sector has been tasked with building America’s charging network, EVAdoption’s McDonald said that statement is a mischaracterization of how our age-old car evolves as new technologies emerge. .
“It will take 40+ years to replace most ICE vehicles on the road in the US,” he said. “We now have 290 million vehicles on the road in America, and about 4.5 million of them are (EVs) and (plug-in hybrids). A wide choice of EV models and high volume production of EV models like the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y have emerged in just the last few years.
The hostility toward EVs and the NeVI program represents a strange reversal for DeSantis. In 2020, the Governor announced an $8.6 million investment to “strengthen Florida’s electric vehicle infrastructure” and “improve Florida’s environment.” The state also drafted a fairly robust EV infrastructure master plan in 2021, anticipating aggressive growth and a network of chargers to service it.
“Not only will these charging stations lead to lower emissions and better air quality, but they will also improve mobility and safety for the growing number of Floridians who drive electric cars,” DeSantis said in a 2020 statement. Climate Alarmism” that FDOT is condemning today.
Additionally, around the same time that former President Donald Trump stepped up his criticism of electric vehicles, DeSantis—who was also competing for the GOP nomination before dropping out—vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have caused the state to could be induced to buy more of them.
FDOT spokesperson Williams countered, saying, “There have been no policy changes (under DeSantis) regarding EVs because FDOT believes that all road users have the right to drive whatever they want, where they want, when they want.” There should be freedom. FDOT objects to the Biden administration’s desire to impose a California-style mandate that would ultimately force consumers to buy EVs.
There is still a NEVI-related page describing the grant program on the FDOT website, but it only says “Please check the online website for any updates.” No one has come yet.
Kia EV6 at Electrify US Swift charging station
Meanwhile, although it is a disappointing occasion, NEVI-funded chargers are becoming popular across the country. The first opened at the Ohio finale, followed by 11 others in seven states. McDonald said that by skipping this date, Maryland eliminated its first round of NEVI awards, which would ultimately leave 23 charging websites in 15 counties around the order.
He said the only role Florida is playing in the politics here is to prevent EV owners from heading to one of America’s most regulated tourist destinations.
“It’s also interesting that the responses you got didn’t even mention charging infrastructure or NEVI, but instead reiterated DeSantis’ point about the Biden mandate,” McDonald said. “Who is being political here? DeSantis is putting his personal politics and dislike of Biden ahead of what is truly in the best interest of the residents of the state of Florida.
“It’s absolutely crazy,” McDonald said.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
Striking Supremacy: Ralf Hermens/Motorsport Community
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