US Senate passes $1.2 trillion EV infrastructure bill

The Biden administration is one step closer to rolling out major improvements to its electric vehicle infrastructure across the United States after receiving the nod for funding from the Senate this week.

Receiving a majority vote of 69-30, the infrastructure bill will involve US$1.2 trillion (AU$1.63tn) being invested in various projects such as roads, bridges and the electricity grid according to CNN.

While a majority of the funds will go towards more generalised projects, around US$7.5 billion (AU$10.18bn) has been allocated specifically towards building a national network of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

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Joe Biden has called for American manufacturers to adopt EVs in 40 per cent of their model range by 2030

The bill is a part of President Joe Biden's EV push, from having previously announced increased subsidies towards electric vehicles as a part of his election campaign, to recently calling for 40 per cent of new vehicle sales to come from EVs by 2030.

Despite playing catch-up to Europe and the UK which are planning to ban internal combustion engine production by 2035 and 2030 respectively, the investment in infrastructure is significantly larger than the Australian Government's commitment to EV chargers, recently announcing $25 million in grants to build 403 charging stations across the country.

Having passed through the Senate, the bill will now continue through to the House of Representatives before being signed by Biden.