Biden's False Claim on Union Installing 500,000 EV Charging Stations

During the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, President Joe Biden made an ambitious claim that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) was in the process of installing 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country. This statement, however, doesn’t align with reality. Recent reports reveal that fewer than twenty of these stations have been installed so far, casting serious doubt on Biden's assertions and the effectiveness of his administration's climate initiatives.

Biden boasted about the accomplishments of his administration, saying, “Remember we were told we couldn’t get anything done... We passed the most significant climate law in the history of mankind... Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in clean energy for American workers including the IBEW installing 500,000 charging stations all across America.”

However, the facts paint a different picture. According to Autoweek, as of May, only eight charging stations have been put in place, despite a $7.5 billion federal initiative aimed at jump-starting the EV charging infrastructure. This program, part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, has been moving at a snail’s pace since its launch over two years ago.

This isn’t the first time the administration’s promises have fallen short. POLITICO reported back in December 2023 that, despite the 2021 Congressional approval of $7.5 billion to build tens of thousands of chargers, not a single one had been installed under the program by the end of 2023. Bloomberg echoed these concerns, noting that most of the new chargers added in the U.S. last year were installed by for-profit companies, not government programs.

In stark contrast, Elon Musk’s Tesla has outperformed the federal efforts by a significant margin. By the end of May, Tesla’s Supercharger network boasted over 57,000 DC fast chargers worldwide, generating $1.74 billion in revenue in 2023 alone. In just the fourth quarter of 2023, Tesla added 357 new stations, accounting for 3,783 charging ports, with around two-thirds of all public chargers in the U.S. designed for Teslas.

Biden’s grandiose promises seem increasingly hollow as private companies like Tesla continue to lead the way in EV infrastructure, while the administration’s initiatives lag far behind. As the 2024 election approaches, voters will likely scrutinize whether the president’s words match his administration’s actions.

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