Economy Murica Builds 7 EV Charging Stations in 4 Years with $7.5 Billion Allocated Funds

[TrueBias]

The title states that 7.5 billion was spent on seven stations, not that 7.5 billion was allocated.

They got 7.5 billion approved and only built 7.

Should "so far" be put in?

 

[Sweater of AV]

They got 7.5 billion approved and only built 7.

Should "so far" be put in?

So far 7 have been built, that is correct.

 

[Belaya Smert]

Sounds like we need to get more efficient with our electrical infrastructure. Maybe AI could help @Islam Imamate @Sweater of AV
Seems a pretty inefficient use of the time and money.

 

[emefer]

They got 7.5 billion approved and only built 7.

Should "so far" be put in?

The whole thing is wrong. It didn’t cost 7.5 billion to build 7 charging stations and it hasn’t been four years.
That was already explained.

 

[NoSmilez]

Kinda clickbait thread title. The link said 2 years so far. I can't wait for the there are too many EV charging station threads coming in the next couple of years.

 

[Rob Battisti]

Its true that OP got some facts blatantly wrong to exaggerate the problem but the problem is still there. In America its just plain hard to build infrastructure and especially large infrastructure at scale and its because of excessive red tape. Environmental review in particular is abused by folks who don't want any given development to go through. Firms will have to write(and sometimes rewrite) environmental impact statements that could be thousands of pages long for instance. In other cases local residents will argue that any new development of any kind, whether its student housing or a bus stop, will cause "noise pollution" and therefore shouldn't be built or at least should require another, you guessed it, environmental impact statement.

So anytime you want to build anything of note you have to go through this rigmarole all the while consultants are sucking the money from the budget. Another way these projects bleed money is through a certain deceptive practice by contractors. They outbid their competitors with very low bids which due to laws that require the city to go for the lowest bid(ostensibly to avoid corrupt city officials choosing pricey contracts from favored contractors) gets them the contracts. But those bids are often unreasonably low so the contractor, after getting the job and starting work, will say "akshually I need more money so here's a change order" and thus we get projects with delays that go overbudget.

In other words, it’s a racket.

 

[PEB]

Maybe part of the issue is individual states have already set up no bid agreements with other contractors?

 

[panamaican]

You don't still see a problem with this?

No. How long does it take to run the RFP, pick a contractor, pick an ideal location for the charging station, run it through local government ordinances, break ground and get the thing up and running?

In some cities, a developer can spend 6 months to a year getting local permission to curb cut a plot of land and have traffic lights installed.

When they're overspending for the city planning part of the project, we'll have a problem. But 2 years after Congress allocates money for something is not a long time at all. Simply allocating money doesn't even begin to get a project done.

 

[panamaican]

In other words, it’s a racket.

Everyone says that until they wake up 30 years from now with cancer and looking for someone to sue. I agree that getting projects through zoning and local regulations is something that absolutely can be streamlined but people have no one to blame for themselves because when builders cut corners and the individual gets hurt, they don't chalk it up to the game. They want their pound of flesh it's the cities that end up paying.

 

[TrueBias]

The whole thing is wrong. It didn’t cost 7.5 billion to build 7 charging stations and it hasn’t been four years.
That was already explained.

They have 7.5 billion to spend and theyve built 7 SO FAR with that money.

The timeline isnt something I tackled...so far.

 

[Rob Battisti]

Everyone says that until they wake up 30 years from now with cancer and looking for someone to sue. I agree that getting projects through zoning and local regulations is something that absolutely can be streamlined but people have no one to blame for themselves because when builders cut corners and the individual gets hurt, they don't chalk it up to the game. They want their pound of flesh it's the cities that end up paying.

The pendulum swings. Right now it’s absolutely insanely on one side.

 

[DiddlyDoodly]

No. How long does it take to run the RFP, pick a contractor, pick an ideal location for the charging station, run it through local government ordinances, break ground and get the thing up and running?

In some cities, a developer can spend 6 months to a year getting local permission to curb cut a plot of land and have traffic lights installed.

When they're overspending for the city planning part of the project, we'll have a problem. But 2 years after Congress allocates money for something is not a long time at all. Simply allocating money doesn't even begin to get a project done.

This is a Government project, no? You think that they would have more pull.

Christ, Sheetz and Dollar Generals are popping up overnight like weeds.

Maybe they should partner up with those businesses.

 

[NickNick]

You should look into how much infrastructure work ISPs have done/service improvement they have delivered with the billions they have gotten from the government over the decades.

 

[chardog]

Congrats to Muricans for such an amazing feat of civil engineering!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/03/28/ev-charging-stations-slow-rollout/

I don’t know how much of this has gone to Tesla and third party, but around Cali, there’s been a crap ton of EV stations popping up, and the construction period seems quick.

At minimum, there is some lost in translation somewhere.

 

[djacobox372]

You don't still see a problem with this?

I see a bigger problem with spreading alarm over something that doesn't warrant.. especially when facts are modified to increase the alarm as TS did.

Two years is nothing when it comes to a massive infrastructure project, that fact that they've built ANY of them yet is surprising. Lots has to be done before ground can even be broke, especially in this case where deals have to be brokered with technology companies.

 

[ColemanwastheGOAT]

Just wait till the hobos steal the copper out of them.

 

[panamaican]

This is a Government project, no? You think that they would have more pull.

Christ, Sheetz and Dollar Generals are popping up overnight like weeds.

Maybe they should partner up with those businesses.

That speaks to a misunderstanding of the government itself. Congress is federal. But the actual implementation is going to be state level and local. Additionally, Congress might allocate the money but it's the federal agencies that oversee the implementation that gets the money to the local level. So, even after the money gets allocated, the federal agency has to interpret the Congressional allocation, write up the rules that will govern who gets the money and how, communicate it to the local level. Review the local bids and then start cutting checks.

It's very different from a Dollar General using its own money to rent a commercial space and stock it with goods for sale.

 

[LeonardoBjj]

Watched Doug Demuro's review of the new Cyber Truck. Not very impressed.

- I like this dude channel. But eletric cars are car-bominations.

 

[ColemanwastheGOAT]

That speaks to a misunderstanding of the government itself. Congress is federal. But the actual implementation is going to be state level and local. Additionally, Congress might allocate the money but it's the federal agencies that oversee the implementation that gets the money to the local level. So, even after the money gets allocated, the federal agency has to interpret the Congressional allocation, write up the rules that will govern who gets the money and how, communicate it to the local level. Review the local bids and then start cutting checks.

It's very different from a Dollar General using its own money to rent a commercial space and stock it with goods for sale.

Yeah seems like the private option is faster and more efficient.

 

[fedoriswar37]

No. How long does it take to run the RFP, pick a contractor, pick an ideal location for the charging station, run it through local government ordinances, break ground and get the thing up and running?

In some cities, a developer can spend 6 months to a year getting local permission to curb cut a plot of land and have traffic lights installed.

When they're overspending for the city planning part of the project, we'll have a problem. But 2 years after Congress allocates money for something is not a long time at all. Simply allocating money doesn't even begin to get a project done.

Lol my company (in canada ) installs these chargers. It's not that complicated. It takes skilled labour but it more then doable in reasonable time.