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Multiple Approaches Could Provide US With Better Car Charging Infrastructure

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Europe's most advanced public electric vehicle charging station opened at Honda R&D Europe

According to John Hayes, former minister of the Department for Transport in the UK, electric car chargers need to have the same level of recognizability that British phone booths have, adding that they “should be beautiful.”

This statement came as Hayes and the House of Commons discussed a bill called the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill. Specifically, Hayes said that, “one should recognize a charging point, as we recognize a telephone box,” and reiterated that he thinks the country should hold a design competition to create them.

This suggestion comes at a time when America is working on expanding its electric vehicle market, as many consumers are still plagued by “range anxiety” and cite the general dearth of charging infrastructure. So, the argument is now over what, exactly, needs to be done to boost consumer confidence in electric cars.

In one respect, people like ChargePoint CEO Pasquale Romano think that the crucial need for the future of electric vehicles rests on building charging stations along highways, rather than in city centers. Others, like General Motors Director of Advanced Vehicle Commercialization Policy Britta Gross, have just called for more government grants, and for the government to make sure that the chargers are “highly visible.”

The answer is likely a mixture of both approaches: more charging stations across our highways (which is a process that the government has already started, luckily), while making them easy to find without needing to consult a phone app.

News Source: The Register