Increased electric charging capacity will be desperately needed for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
Delivery vans will increase the need for charging upgrades in the near term, but the infrastructure needed to support the onslaught of medium and heavy-duty vehicles is another story entirely. The Electric Highways Study is a white paper that is meant to formulate a blueprint for the strategic construction of fast-charging sites along highway corridors for passenger vehicles and commercial trucks. Electrification is the obvious goal of the industry, but it won’t be as easy as 1-2-3.
The good news is that substantial capacity upgrades are feasible due to many of the highway sites in the white paper being settled near high-capacity transmission lines. Commercial vehicle electrification will require major upgrades if the projections are accurate with how quickly the evolution will pan out.
South Korea has welcomed the U.S. decision to extend electric vehicle tax credits for cars containing Chinese graphite until 2026.