NCEA Releases Inaugural Report Revealing Projected $2 - 4 Trillion Cost to Build Nationwide Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the National Center for Energy Analytics (NCEA) released its first-ever study, which evaluates the realities of the ongoing push for an all-electric vehicle (EV) future. The study documents the overlooked and enormous physical and economic challenges of attempting to rapidly deploy an all-EV infrastructure to replicate the fueling convenience of today's distribution of liquids in pipes, tanks, and pumps. The study reveals that the total cost of expanding and upgrading the necessary electrical infrastructure--excluding the cost of new power plants--could exceed $4 trillion.
"I'm honored to have joined this important undertaking with NCEA and author its first study. The current rush to transform our auto industry through coercive government mandates and billions in taxpayer subsidies ignores a very important reality - the scale and enormous cost, not only of EV charging stations but more importantly, the hardware needed to get electricity to all the EV charging stations," said Senior Fellow Jonathan Lesser. "This study shows that those total costs will range from $2 - 4 trillion even before accounting for inevitable inflation in labor and materials costs. Those costs will be shouldered by Americans already struggling under high energy prices. Ultimately, this rush to EVs is unsustainable and will collapse, hopefully before inflicting severe economic damage to America's economy."
"Jonathan's groundbreaking new report is precisely the kind of analysis that the NCEA was created to pursue to help ensure policies are either anchored in or at least recognize the realities of vital energy systems," said Mark P. Mills, NCEA's Executive Director. "While the Environmental Protection Agency has moved full steam ahead with its backdoor EV mandate, widespread adoption of EVs will require an unprecedented and rapid expansion of our nation's electric grids and at huge costs, and coming at a time when those grids are already under severe stress."
Lesser's detailed analysis underscores that achieving an all-EV future will require extensive enhancements and expansion of the entire electrical delivery system. This includes the installation of millions of home and roadside charging stations, massive upgrades to local distribution systems, unprecedented production of vital power transformers, and the construction of additional high-voltage transmission lines. The need for specialized materials, such as electrical steel and copper, and the labor shortages in skilled trades, such as electricians and linemen, add to the challenges. As the report starkly notes, without addressing these physical and economic realities, the current push for an all-EV mandate is not only unsustainable but also threatens to compromise both grid reliability as well as the freedom of mobility that Americans deserve.
The report, "Infrastructure Requirements for the Mass Adoption of Electric Vehicles," is available for download on our website.
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New Report Suggests Electrification Mandates Worsen Energy Affordability, Power Access, Economist Jonathan Lesser, PhD, urges policymakers to adopt a more rational planning framework
NCEA finds mandates to electrify the economy while rationing energy use may deepen the affordability crisis and restrict power access.
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