Ocasio-Cortez Announces Bill for National Network of EV Chargers
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The Democratic congresswoman who pushed the Green New Deal to prominence aims to build a national network of high-speed chargers for electric cars under legislation unveiled on Feb. 6.
Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Andy Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said the bill — dubbed the EV Freedom Act — would establish a network of chargers along public highways within five years. The measure is unlikely to pass in an election year with Republicans controlling the Senate.
The bill doesn’t yet have any Republican backers and the potential cost hasn’t been calculated, Levin said during a press conference in Washington.
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Tesla, by far the largest seller of electric vehicles, erased yesterday’s declines to surge as much as 8.3% to $795.83 in New York after the plan was reported earlier Feb. 6, then retreated to $764.69 at 12:40 p.m. Investors had put Elon Musk’s carmaker on a wild ride the past few days. The stock on Feb. 5 fell 17% after more than doubling so far this year.
The legislation “embodies the core principles of what the Green New Deal is all about,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters at the press conference, referring to her broad proposal for measures to shift the nation away from fossil fuels. It “opens the door for electric vehicles not to just be in the realm of the wealthy, but accessible to everybody.”
“We need this charging infrastructure,” Levin said.
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