"EV chargers require iron and steel for some of their most crucial parts, including the internal structural frame, heating and cooling fans and the power transformer. Chargers with cabinets that house the product require even more steel, making up to 50% of the total cost of the chargers in some cases.
U.S. states and companies warned global demand for EV chargers is straining the supply chain, making it difficult, if not impossible, to meet made-in-America standards and expedite construction of new chargers."
Can you believe a shortage of steel in the USA? Incredible!!
The Biden administration and the Senate are in conflict over the rule that requires domestic content to be funded by the govt under the Inflation Reduction Act. Steel shortages will delay installation.
Biden wants to waive the requirement until next June to speed construction. The Senate overruled that to encourage more jobs in the US. Biden threatens to veto the bill.
You wonder if the steel shortage is part of the “supply chain issues” that impede installation of wind farms.
And does this imply the US steel industry has become overly dependent on imported steel. Must EVs be made with domestic steel? Is there enough capacity to cover our needs?
The federal government has set a goal of installing 500,000 new fast chargers by 2030. But, the nation lacks the workforce to build and maintain them, says Automotive News. “The U.S. will need at least 142,000 more certified electricians by 2030 to support the country’s electrification push, which includes EV charging, solar panels, battery storage, smart panels, and more, according to Qmerit, a company that provides installation services for EV charging and other electrification technologies for homes and businesses.”
They say that blast furnaces are the dirty part of steel making. That’s where iron ore reacts with carbon from coke to make pig iron. The oxygen in the iron ore becomes carbon monoxide.
Companies have been shutting down their blast furnaces and buying imported pig iron. Some came from Russia. I wonder if that is part of the domestic content problem.
They are working on carbon free technology. That is part of the Midwestern hydrogen hub project but years from completion.
But internal memos from the Department of Transportation obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, as well as interviews with those who are responsible for overseeing the implementation of the electric vehicle charging station project, say the delay is in large part a result of the White House’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives… Shortly after taking office, the president signed an executive order mandating that the beneficiaries of 40% of all federal climate and environmental programs should come from “underserved communities.”…
In order to qualify for a grant, applicants must “demonstrate how meaningful public involvement, inclusive of disadvantaged communities, will occur throughout a project’s life cycle.” What “public involvement” means is unclear. But the Department of Transportation notes it should involve “intentional outreach to underserved communities.”
That outreach, the Department of Transportation states, can take the form of “games and contests,” “visual preference surveys,” or “neighborhood block parties” so long as the grant recipient provides “multilingual staff or interpreters to interact with community members who use languages other than English.”.