Biden administration pressed on EV charging payment equity

Zoom in: They're among several groups, in comments on the pending rules, saying DOT should require stations to accept chip and swipe payments in addition to contactless payment.

• The NCLC goes further by urging the rules to require that states provide drivers with EV payment cards.
• "Nearly twenty percent of Americans are unbanked or underbanked, with markedly higher rates for Black and Hispanic Americans," the center said.

Catch up fast: DOT is writing standards to govern billions of dollars in EV charging station funding under the bipartisan infrastructure law and payment requirements are one element.

• GM suggests several reasons for providing options beyond contactless payment with credit cards. Among them: helping unbanked customers by providing more ways to use prepaid cards.
• The EV advocacy group Plug In America's comments cite several equity concerns around payment methods and more.
• One of its suggestions is that states getting federal funding for charging stations should be "encouraged to reward bidders who provide subsidized charging to income-qualified EV drivers."