9 Billion on 8 Chargers! DEBUNKED

[@michaelriecher5632]

It’s hard to get the truth out there when you’re fighting a fire hose of lies

[@bobbybishop5662]

There's plenty of FUD coming from both sides of the argument.

[@stratvids]

@@bobbybishop5662 lol if you think the sides are remotely comparable then you've lost your mind

[@Xetairex]

@@bobbybishop5662Yeah, the ‘both sides’ nonsensical argument rears its ugly head again. 😅

[@Neojhun]

@@bobbybishop5662 LOL this is an insane topic to apply both sides argument. It's not even close.

[@davidthompson7817]

@@Xetairex I don’t think that’s his head because his head is in the sand so that has to be his “monkey butt” showing!😂

[@GeeDeeBird]

Funding for the transcontinental railroad was authorized in 1862. The railroad wasn't completed until 1869. Funding for the interstate highway system was authorized in 1956. The interstate highway system was completed in 1992. The problem with contemporary society is some people seem to think things happen overnight. They do not. Installing a major infrastructure involves locating and procuring property and easements. Vetting contractors (bonding and insurance) and negotiating contracts. Supplying underlying secondary infrastructure (power lines, transformers, relays) and obtaining licenses and permits (site location and preparation). This process alone requires years. Do the critics really not understand this, or are they just looking to torpedo the EV program out of personal animosity or financial interest? I get that some folks genuinely don't want an EV, but let's keep the conversation intelligent and fact-based, shall we?

[@extragoode]

And Tesla's own charging network took 2 years to install 15 stations across the US and that doesn't include all the time and planning prior to the first install. By that metric the federal network seems about on pace.

[@ImLivinSD]

So let me get this right, because I do not want to spend money on and Over Priced EV, I am not intelligent or fact based. See, this is why the Rest of the world is against you and we just dosnt like you very much. The pretentious elitist green eco bags attitude is where this conversation that was good goes Bad!

[@johnbaker5533]

Do you really think that it cannot be done quicker? We are already a couple of years into this process and hardly any have been deployed. So states haven't even processed application yet. I do not think that is an efficient system. Tesla now can rollout 500+ sites and 7000+ stalls a year in the US. That is just one company. Other CPOs are rolling out lots of stations too. They will all rollout stations more that the NEVI funding will do and quicker. Making excuses for slow red tape is foolish. It should be quicker and their is no real excuse.

[@brendykes1202]

@@extragoodethey could just pay Tesla a fraction of what they’re spending and get it done faster.

[@GeeDeeBird]

@johnbaker5533 You're delusional. Name a major infrastructure project that was significantly completed in two years. There isn't one. Infrastructure projects take decades, not years, to complete. As for Tesla, it took five years to roll out the first dozen charging stations. The stuff they are doing now has been under development for years, if not decades.

[@xheksa]

I'm from Europe, so it doesn't affect me directly, but you can see that disinformation is the same everywhere, if only there were more people like you, who refute constant lies and disinformation about EVs. Thank you for your good work.

[@davidthompson7817]

Although it’s considered a quasi-science by today’s standards… applied kinesiology (AK)has been used worldwide by chiropractors and natural path to determine if something is beneficial for their patients/clients. We need it on a mass scale so that everybody can determine a truthful statement from a false hood. They can simply muscle test themselves after they make a statement regarding whatever it is… you can’t tell the future, but you can certainly find out the present and the past situation and whether or not it is life affirming or if it degrades life. Too simple I know I’m at least 100 years ahead of my time.

[@myfisttoe1]

I know several people who have electric cars who do use public chargers, even though they can charge at home. The catch is my worksite provides L2 charging for free. It's a nice perk.

[@ziploc2000]

I found a couple of free Lvl 2 chargers in our local Electric Board car park. Charging for free is the cheapest there is, but there's nothing to do while charging bar sitting in your car, it's not near any shops or other amenities.

[@economicprisoner]

Apparently my city's L2 chargers are only available during business hours. Not overnight where they would excel.

[@Neojhun]

@@economicprisoner "my city's L2 chargers" What do you mean by that. Who owns them and operates them? That's like saying My City's Water Faucets.

[@DairyAirGunners]

When the first ICE automobiles were sold, there were zero gas stations. People bought gas like they bought kerosene and coal oil, at a store by the gallon.

[@LightsOnMultiMediaMindArts]

Good point.

[@davegratz5895]

Funny how those facts get ignored. The were few paved roads, no gas stations every few hundred feet. I can imagine the fuss the anti ICE people would have raised back then had social media existed.

[@Globalscanningeyes]

They were originally called service stations because they were the place where you could get your car checked from getting your oil checked to getting your wind shield cleaned

[@DairyAirGunners]

@@orionbetelgeuse1937 : Regardless of who did the shopping, the point is that the gas powered car created the need for gas stations. Just as EV cars have created the need for charging stations.

[@DairyAirGunners]

@@orionbetelgeuse1937 Okay, have it your way. Gas powered car didn't create a need for gas stations. LOL

[@krslavin]

Why don't journalists write articles more clearly so that there is no possible way for misinterpreting what they are saying? This always baffles me.

[@economicprisoner]

1. They are owned by billionaires. 2. Does not matter how many caveats you add if your opponent is arguing in bad faith and literally lying.

[@krslavin]

@@economicprisoner At least one can make it more obvious that they are contradicting the original report, which simply needed to state how much of the money had been spent on those chargers so far... Then one could at least draw the conclusion that the government's offer didn't seem to have many takers, which is a very different criticism.

[@pranavid]

You can send your query to Bezos.

[@ralphpetry1745]

Even as a huge EV fan, I still think far too much money is spent on level 2 charging and very little thought goes into where they are placed. They make sense in work places and condo developments but the ones I see at convenience stores, gas stations etc are a waste and never get used. Fast charging is more expensive but a far better investment and would actually be useful to those who have no opportunity to charge at home.

[@Carl_in_AZ]

According to the DOT plans approved to date and funded by NEVI, many of the charging stations on US interstates will have pull-through designs with CSS and NACS for trucks every 50 miles.

[@deanmcmanis9398]

Years ago, a local southern CA utility proposed their plan to install hundreds of automotive chargers throughout the area. And charge their customers for the infrastructure improvements and EVSE installations. When I heard about it from a friend who was looking to see if it was a good plan, I spotted that they were charging 10X as much as local EV retrofit projects and installations, and that 2/3rds of the proposed installations were installing Level One chargers, with the rest being Level 2. Level 1 is painfully slow for public charging, and I recommended to have 1/3rd Level 2 and 2/3rds DC fast charging, but they said that because I was not a government approved authority they would just go ahead with their original plans. Now years later they still have plans to expand the Level 2 charging network, because it is far cheaper and easier to do. I agree that it is best to spend the majority of money for public chargers on NACS DC fast charging.

[@johnfranklin6394]

I agree. I live in the UK, and the chargers at grocery stores are so slow that they don't get used. You plug in, do your grocery shopping, come out, and you've added maybe 5 miles of range. A total waste of time and effort considering all the messing about with a Type 2 cable on a typically cold and wet British day. I am lucky enough to be able to charge at home overnight at a price that's lower than my local supermarket 7kw chargers. But, many people in my town live in 19th century terraced houses with nowhere to charge at home. It's hard to see how they are ever going to make the move to an EV until reasonably priced rapid and ultra-rapid charging is available in our town. Our nearest Tesla SCs are about 15 miles away, hardly convenient. Besides that, there are other, even more expensive, non-Tesla ultra-rapid chargers on the freeway network that are still further away from our small market town.

[@ziploc2000]

Agreed. With a 240V 50 A socket I can do level 2 at home, actually faster than any of the public ones in my area which seem to be limited to 30A. I could do a hardwire at 48A, but will do a plug in at 40 A as that's more than enough for our needs. Most of the public chargers in my city are level 2 but cost more than my home rate. They make sense where vehicles will be parked for hours, but it'll be the same vehicle plugging in regularly. Schools, Universities, Multi Storey car parks, Hospitals. Outside a store only really if it's for staff or store use. For charging on the freeway we need level 3, and don't bother building them less at 350kW rate. Right now if I was doing a road trip I'd use Tesla chargers and an adaptor, because they seem to have the only true "network" with charging stations at key locations.

[@ziploc2000]

They need to make those level 3 chargers all 350kW. That way even a 100kWh battery can be fully charged in 1/2 hour, but for most people charging 20-80% would be done in less than 20 minutes. Of course the cars need to be built to accept that rate of charge, but that's totally feasible and some do already. Faster charging = less time spent charging = fewer chargers needed = less hardware to build and maintain.

[@yodaiam1000]

Ben, I think your numbers are off. 3000 chargers would be $2.5 million per charger. There is no way that is correct. What I read was a goal of 500 000 chargers. That is $15000/charger which makes a lot more sense.

[@DSchorow]

Ah, I noticed the same issue.

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

According to reporting by the Washington Post, the EV policy analyst group Atlas Public Policy estimates that the $5 billion in NEVI funding is sufficient to build out up to 5,000 public DC fast charging locations comprising 20,000 charging ports. At the time of NEVI program creation, this represented an approximate increase of 50% in public DC fast charging infrastructure nationwide.

[@johnharvey1786]

It depend if the numbers include the electricity supply upgrade required and how far this new or upgraded supply has to come and if new equipment is required at the main sub-stations. The on-site actual charging unit with its ancillary equipment is usually around £50,000 / $60,000 - £100,000 / $120,000 each depending on what is required but on some projects the off site electrical works can be several million, so it’s difficult to work out the average cost of an individual site as the numbers can vary wildly.

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

The 500,000 charger number is the current administration's goal for total public EV charging infrastructure nationwide by 2030. This is not the number to be stood up with NEVI funds alone. It's also important to keep three things in mind: 1. The nation's public charging infrastructure is a nascent market. The existing fossil fuel infrastructure has been under development for 100 years. 2. The 500,000 number is the total number of charging *ports,* not locations. For comparison, there are currently more than 190,000 fossil fueling stations nationwide. There is not good data on the estimated total number of gas pumps. 3. 80% of current EV charging occurs overnight at residences.

[@yodaiam1000]

@@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt Those numbers seem too high. That is a quarter million dollars per charger port. A worst case charger is $200 000 with 400kW in an area where upgrades are required. Typical chargers at 50 or 75kW are more like $20 000 to $30 000. Maybe they are assuming all high power DC fast chargers. It is not required for most people. There are now 600kW chargers coming out. Maybe that is what they assumed?

[@daveturner6612]

A senior manager in SuperCharger Installations spoke to our Tesla club. In most cases, the largest delays are with the Electrical Utility. Often a custom transformer needs to be wound. While many factors vary, the typical cost to power 8 to 16 stalls is $250,000. Many locations may get a permit but not every location can get multi megawatt service. The Utility cannot be pressured, they are a monopoly. The other thing he mentioned was that small town’s councils totally understood attracting a growing group of visitors that will have 20 to 40 minutes to stretch their legs right in their downtown. The City guys had constituents with dealerships & gas stations.

[@javelinXH992]

Same in the UK. Biggest obstacle is usually (but not always) a getting a suitable grid connection. Large infrastructure locations such as supermarkets and service stops can often accommodate them with minor upgrades which is one of the reasons why they often have appeared at those locations early in, but if you need to fit one in the middle of nowhere you may need a grid upgrade at that location. I’ve seen a few built and ready to go stations waiting for a physical or paperwork grid approval. They go online eventually.

[@Nht375]

I’m wondering if you could highlight Biden’s comments claiming Mary (GM ) is the leader in ev industry?

[@weich1q2w]

Don't you worry Ben will say Biden never said that

[@USUG0]

while, have you decided yet whether it is better dying electrocuted or eaten by a shark?

[@rp9674]

Crazy talk except now GM is number two in EV sales with as many EV models as any other automaker including Tesla. It's a silly thing to focus on.

[@lkrnpk]

Yes, he said so and it was Bad. And? And I am not anti Trump because I am woke or so, but Trump is bullshit master or how Trump called him in Isaacson biography? Now is comrade Kamala better, I am not sure.... Thing is you have weak presidential candidates

[@gpsfinancial6988]

Did baby Elon get his feelings hurt?

[@jb3246]

Thanks Ben. So they allocated $9B for all those NEVI chargers, but have only opened 8 EV chargers in 3 years. Still doesn't sound good, but not a disaster. The problem with infrastructure is that it is expensive and takes a long time to implement. Good news is that lots of planning and work has been done (and continues) and the NEVI EV chargers will soon be popping up in many places. I still don't like seeing only 4 chargers at a location, and am disappointed with how expensive many of these are (many appear to be 10x what Tesla SC typically cost - making it seem like a money grab). I think it would be far better to have at least 8 chargers at a site - better to wait a few minutes for an open charger than to drive across town looking for an open charger.

[@allan357]

Another side of this issue is to look into how car manufacturers announced they would be switching from CCS to NACS during this period. Just speculation on my part, but if the ball started rolling on CCS stalls switching to NACS would likely have thrown a wrench in things and delayed installations.

[@mrspeigle1]

20 stations over 3 years[going on updated numbers is still pathetic for perspective In 2023 alone tesla built 1270 stations, and this is before we factor the number of stalls in each station or the cost per station built.[wich I promise will be vastly cheaper. Once the biden numbers are out]

[@johnwolf3294]

Exactly why he is missing the point here is beyond me.

[@gpsfinancial6988]

The build out requires the States and utilities to cooperate.

[@mrspeigle1]

@gpsfinancial6988 states and utilities are cooperating with tesla just fine, the problem is with the administration

[@gpsfinancial6988]

@@mrspeigle1 Is that why direct sales are banned in so many States? Ask Tesla why Tesla insurance is in so few States.

[@mrspeigle1]

@@gpsfinancial6988 non sequiter, we are discussing charger deployment

[@vanvino4074]

So is my math right here, 7.5b set aside to produce over 3,000 chargers, or 2-2.5m per charger? Seems expensive, but how does that price per plug compare to other charging networks?

[@johnbaker5533]

yeah I was confused here too. I don't think he got that info at all correct or at least he explained it very poorly.

[@6GZL1]

@@vanvino4074 it sounds like a lot, but if it’s start to finish to get a usable plug in place there may be a lot to it. Parking lot construction may be required in some areas, grid integration, supply cabinets, and charging stalls. I could see the average costs per plug racking up quickly. I’m not an expert, but a quick google search states that the grid integration alone depending on the area can cost millions.

[@johnfranklin6394]

I put this prompt into Bing "How much does it cost Tesla to install a Super Charger in the United States?" The answer was between $100k and $200k per stall. So, between 5% and 10% of the "Biden" chargers. So, unless your maths (I am British, so say maths) is wrong as well as mine, that's $7.5bn not well spent. EDIT: I put another prompt into Bing "How many chargers will be installed by the Inflation Reduction Act's $7.5 billion of funding?" The answer is 500,000 by 2030! So, yes more than 3,000. Rather a lot more. Ok, so based on that far more respectable total of chargers, it comes to $15k per charger! Not $2 million! Which now makes me wonder how they can be so much cheaper than the apparent cost of Tesla SCs? The truth is out there somewhere, but I'm not convinced I've found it yet.

[@yodaiam1000]

@@johnfranklin6394 I came to the same conclusion. The $100 000 to $200 000 installs in areas with really high power chargers and issues with the infrastructure that have to be upgraded. Other installs can be much cheaper. The units are typically $5000 to $10000 but that doesn't include install. From what I have read, the more typical chargers are more like $20 000 to $30 000.

[@vanvino4074]

@@johnfranklin6394 Interesting I havn't looked into the plan myself, I was just going off of what Ben was saying at the 3:43 mark.

[@JerryRigEverything]

Nice work! Thanks for making this video.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Thanks Jerry!

[@zilfondel]

I filed for a permit for a chips act related project, back in 2022. It took about 8 months for our application to be reviewed by the feds, after about 5 months of engineering. The priject was ultimately denied, as it was less than $1 billion dollars (actually only about $2 million). However, any new project can take years and years to initiate, get funding, do design and permitting, get approval, get final financing, and finally construction. Anyone in construction knows everything takes forever and there are dozens of major steps to get a pronect through concept to getting built.

[@tpapadopoulos80]

If you divide 7.5 billion by your number of 3,000 chargers that’s 2.5 million per charger. Now that’s insane and inefficient spending.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

I was wrong, it's 500,000 chargers between the money they're spending directly funding chargers and the tax breaks for private companies to build them (eg. Tesla)

[@youxkio]

Excellent mission you have here Ben. Thank you for your good service to the transition to electrification of transportation.

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

as I watch with interest at the world wide ev advancement, I can't help but think that in 20 years time, this subject will be as extinct as the dinosaurs.

[@randomrud]

Then maybe he should ask Tesla about how they did it. 😂

[@rcircle2008]

I don't believe the government should be in the business of installing or funding charging stations. Charging stations that were put because of Diesel gate are really poor quality and not reliable. Installing fast charging is not the same as maintaining and being able to use those chargers. And I don't own a gas car since 2018 and will probity never own a gas car ever.

[@jimbor2279]

Ben, I think your reporting is misleading: Why It Matters: As per a report from Bloomberg in April, Amazon has installed over 17,000 chargers at about 120 warehouses around the U.S. to power its electric fleet. Tesla’s charging stations, meanwhile, are for private car owners. The company had 57,579 of its supercharger connectors around the world as of the end of the first quarter. In the U.S., the company currently has over 2,200 public supercharger locations with nearly 26,000 charging ports, according to data from the U.S. Department Of Energy. The federal government, meanwhile, has only 41 station locations and 80 EV charging ports. Privately owned charging stations make up the majority of U.S. EV charging infrastructure, with 13,472 station locations and 60,213 charging ports. This is despite the huge investment into EV charging made by the Biden administration. In November 2021, Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law included $7.5 billion in EV charging infrastructure, of which $5 billion was allocated to individual states. Earlier this month, Musk slammed the government for the lack of results despite the investment and said, “I’m starting to think that the government is … not efficient at spending." Who is in your pocket… please clarify

[@enighostmaster]

You didn't listen to Ben's broadcast...money has been allocated but not spent...if it isn't spent within a certain timeframe the program ends and the money is repurposed elsewhere.

[@jimbor2279]

@@enighostmastersure did listen… Ben made it appear as “ over 2000,000 public charger have been built” with this misleading statement he implied that the b administration built them …. The b administration did not. I really don’t care about a timeline or allocation for it is the statements that the be administration puts out making it appear as if they’ve done something when in actuality they have not. The allocation for the money as other money that they have allocated for other ideas more than likely got sidetracked to Ukraine , you can read about this as well. You can’t make this up. As far as the total money needed, Trump is absolutely right you do the math. The cost of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station varies depending on the type of charger, number of ports, and installation requirements: Level 1 The most basic and least expensive option, costing between $200 and $1,000. Level 1 chargers are slow and can only provide up to 4 miles of range per hour of charging. They are suitable for residential charging but not for commercial fleets. Level 2 A faster option than Level 1, costing between $1,500 and $5,000 for the equipment alone. Level 2 chargers are suitable for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks in a fleet. Level 3 (DCFC) A high-speed charging station that can cost between $30,000 and $80,000 per charger. Level 3 chargers are required for medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles. Installation The cost of installation depends on the site's existing infrastructure and the scope of the work required. For example, if new electrical service is needed, or if a new transformer is required, the cost could be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Soft costs These include permits, parking ports, bollards, charger logos, and signalization, and can account for around 5% of the overall cost. Incentives may be available to offset some or all of the cost of installing an EV charging station. Nope, I think this fella has an agenda, the reporting is misleading.

[@jimbor2279]

@@enighostmaster I sure did listen to the whole broadcast. I don’t really care about the timeline or how much money was allocated. I do care about how many have been built so far as well as been alluding to that over 200,000 were built already. He made it seem as if the Biden administration did it. Even if the money is allocated and isn’t spent, you know as well as I anything left over it really ear tagged for Ukraine or illegal aliens.. as well as other money that were allocated and earTag for particular USA project to line their own pockets. As far as Trump‘s statement, he is absolutely correct. You do the math. The cost of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station varies depending on the type of charger, number of ports, and installation requirements: Level 1 The most basic and least expensive option, costing between $200 and $1,000. Level 1 chargers are slow and can only provide up to 4 miles of range per hour of charging. They are suitable for residential charging but not for commercial fleets. Level 2 A faster option than Level 1, costing between $1,500 and $5,000 for the equipment alone. Level 2 chargers are suitable for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks in a fleet. Level 3 (DCFC) A high-speed charging station that can cost between $30,000 and $80,000 per charger. Level 3 chargers are required for medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles. Installation The cost of installation depends on the site's existing infrastructure and the scope of the work required. For example, if new electrical service is needed, or if a new transformer is required, the cost could be in the tens of thousands of dollars. You and I boss now that not much at all has been done with or spent on any of our infrastructure but instead given to Ukraine or illegal aliens. The Biden administration’s statements and numbers only add up when it suits their needs, but, don’t really add up logically or physically at all. I’m questioning Ben’s leading and leaning and misleading

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

@@jimbor2279 NEVI's goal is 5,000 stations/20,000 ports. This represents a 50% increase in public DC fast charging infrastructure. The reason/blame for NEVI funds not being spent lies with the states. NEVI allocates funds to the states according to a formula. States then are responsible for awarding funds for the actual construction and commissioning of DCFCs. This is process takes time. Consider that not a single state had any experience in developing EV charging infrastructure prior to NEVI. Consider also that about a dozen states haven't even released an RFP process whereby NEVI funds could be dispersed. Florida is a great example. While Florida has been allocated nearly $200 million in NEVI funds, not a single cent has been spent because the state government hasn't released an RFP process. Businesses are champing at the bit to get their hands on NEVI dollars. However, the politicization of EVs and EV charging infrastructure has resulted in a completely stalled process.

[@silveravnt]

And the best part is we paid for all of it but only 2/3 delivered.

[@Haffmatthew]

It is beyond my comprehension why anyone would think the existence of human development and progress would be conceived as anything but beneficial to us as a global society. Every advancement we’ve made in the technological sense has taken decades to become more efficient and widely implemented, so the strange outrage at EV tech not being developed overnight seems odd to me

[@Nht375]

How much for those 20 stations so far?

[@tims8603]

I have a question. Why are EV chargers always in a row on the side of a lot? Why aren't they like gas pumps that are on islands? Seems to me it would make more sense.

[@mike_w-tw6jd]

@@tims8603 and canopies

[@DSchorow]

Nice video, but it is still confusing. Around 4:00 in the video you mention something to the extent "By the time they are done, there will be over 3,000 chargers. That's a lot". Certainly 3,000 is a lot more than 8, but still $7.5 Billion for something over 3,000 chargers is around $2 million per charger!!! That's per charger, not charge station. Not nearly as crazy as Trump Math, but still outrageously expensive. I think I must be missing something, but please clarify.

[@calvinwalker4654]

The problem is both sides are lying to make themselves look good. As far as I can tell this video did not debunk anything. He went on about how people live close to a charger, and other topics completely irrelevant to the main topic. I drive an EV, but I don’t want smoke blown up my rear end. 1. How many chargers have been built and are operational? Not how many are going to be built how many should be built how many might be built etc. If someone can’t drive there and plug a car into it, it’s not built 2. Up to this point how much of that money has been spent? Is this information even public? If not, why not because it should be These are the two points the video does not directly address or at least I didn’t see it. If I missed it, please link a timestamp because he kept rambling about different things that were completely unrelated. I’m all about debunking information, but we have to be honest.

[@aftonline]

What I want to know is how many of these new chargers will be NACS compatible. If not, they are obsolete as soon as they commence operation.

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

they will be.

[@michaelgoode9555]

Remind me please: how much did chump spend on an incomplete wall again?

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

he still got reelected though.

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

I think that it's important to point out two things that are widely misrepresented in the politicization of EVs, charging infrastructure, etc.: 1. NEVI is a strategic program of the federal government, the goal of which is to ensure the establishment, availability and performance of *public DC fast charging infrastructure along the nation's interstate highway system, as well as states' Alternative Fuels Corridors,* thereby facilitating cross-country travel in EVs. 2. While NEVI funds are allocated to the states, *funds are dispersed by the states* for the actual planning, construction and deployment of public DC fast charging infrastructure. Unfortunately, about a dozen states (Idaho, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming) haven't even released an application process. In possibly the most salient example, Florida has been allocated $200 million in NEVI funding, yet not a single cent has been awarded.

[@makerspace533]

It will take time, but it will happen. Currently, if you don't have access to home or work L2 charging, then an EV is probably not for you. I've been driving Teslas for 5-1/2 years. During that time I have only used a super charger once. One thing I am concerned about is charger-only companies. In other words, companies that put out charging stations hoping to make money off charging stations alone. The problem is that they are very bad about maintaining the stations. EV America comes to mind. I've heard very little about Tesla chargers not operational, except when some moron cuts the cable off.

[@suchdevelopments]

Thanks!

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

you're amazing, thank you! Also, would love to have you join as a member and hang with us on our livestreams (first one coming soon)

[@suchdevelopments]

@@BenSullinsOfficial, I will join in December. When have I finish a new video and website at the end of November? I was the project manager and civil engineer. I worked as an engineer in Singapore from 1999 to 2005. We designed and constructed twelve-kilometre tunnels with two boring tunnel machines and five stations. I also managed 160 engineers and architects. I have been a contract engineer since 1975, Constructing sewage and water treatment plants from Melbourne to Cairns and all of Asia. I have enjoyed every minute of my life. Kate's wife is a well-known interior designer, and Kate was introduced to Grand Design in Australia-the ideal partnership for 50 years of marriage of the year. I applied to NASA in 1974 to be an astronaut in the Apollo Space Program. I became an engineer.

[@suchdevelopments]

@@BenSullinsOfficial To Help you is a pleasure.

[@killaquansta4045]

His mistake seems to be on how time works 😂 Ben proceeds to explain it simply, oh legit 🧐

[@auminersite]

This guy can really tell some Whoppers. Seem like he's intentionally trying to mislead people

[@rp9674]

It was much less than 3 years since funding started being released

[@bobsmmrs8712]

Does the 24,000 charging stations number include subsidies for home chargers?

[@hagen.360]

How is it possible to lie so blatantly without being held accountable?

[@Geckogold]

I heard that any time Trump does the back and forth wavy hands thing, he's definitely lying his butt off. And someone made hilarious videos out of that, making him look like he's playing an accordion.

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

isn't he the new president, voted in by a landslide?

[@jeffreymckie3328]

Are these stations any good anyway or are they like those mandated to VW.

[@tveggemeyer8103]

Right now, road-tripping in a Tesla is a breeze, but if every car on the road was an EV, the day before a holiday wouldn't work even if we had 10X the fast chargers we do now. Even if only 10,000 cars traveled from Dallas to Austin when it's 100+ degrees or freezing out, you must stop in Waco to charge. At 15-20 minutes a charge, you better bring a tent. That drive has taken me 7 hours the day before Thanksgiving. The heater in an EV would probably drain the battery more than the driving would on a similar night.

[@madpuppet666]

they should build shade covers at all the charging stations and cover them with solar panels.

[@gasdive]

I must admit I thought the sentence at 3:20 was going to go a bit differently. "Back when the article came out there were seven" And I expected the next half of the sentence to be something like: "and now there's sixteen thousand completed stations and another thirty two thousand under construction" Not "and now there have actually been 20 completed and plans for hundreds more" The numbers I was expecting aren't even crazy numbers. They're a quarter of the number that a private company (you know which one, the one the US government hates) has already built at a cost of around 2.5 billion (given the documents Tesla has filed with the government stating each one costs 43,000 and they have built 60,000) So even assuming they cost 12 times more than a Tesla supercharger, there should be tens of thousands either completed or under construction. Not 2 dozen completed and hundreds more just in planning. Then you go on to claim that construction takes 3 years. I worked in the electricity industry, and that's just wrong. Upgrading the supply is months at most but probably weeks. Approval is one working day. If you're building thousands then the transformers are already ordered and in storage, and Tesla completes the groundworks and commissioning in about 10 days.

[@phr3ui559]

thx

[@thomasmoeller3446]

Is that a scratch on your Rivian front left fender?

[@w3072]

what is the cost of a charging station the rule of thumb per plug fast charging of course

[@stevewilson6193]

Thank you for the debunking you do. There is so much misinformation out there. keep fighting the good fight

[@ctuna2011]

Yeah he will be on Elons side as long as it's convenient for him and the money keeps coming in . One of these guys will betray the other it's only a matter of time.

[@RyanKester71]

Thank you! Much appreciate the work you do on your videos.

[@BrianPetersen-l2w]

Excellent video, providing a much needed reality check.

[@gsantee]

I still want to know the actual average cost per charger built so far. Especially compared to the cost to build (average) of a Tesla magic dock charger.

[@FrankTaylorLieder]

Loving the debunk content. Keep it coming!

[@6GZL1]

Roughly $2.5M per plug sounds like a lot, but if it’s start to finish to get a functional plug in place there may be a lot to it. Parking lot construction may be required in some areas, grid integration, supply cabinets, and charging stalls. I could see the average costs per plug racking up quickly. I’m not an expert, but a quick google search states that the grid integration alone depending on the area can cost millions.

[@yodaiam1000]

A really expensive install with high power and issues with the surrounding infrastructure is about $100 000 to $150 000. A cheaper install is about $20 000 to $30 000 (give or take). Ben's numbers are obviously wrong. It looks like the goal was 500 000 chargers which would be $15000 each (a fairly optimistic number but maybe achievable at scale).

[@daryl9053]

Costs are likely to go down per installation as they scale up. They don't have to re-design every time (they will have several existing plans to work from) Additionally once they are confident in the technology / design they can purchase in bulk which lowers costs due to economies of scale.

[@6GZL1]

@@yodaiam1000 I like that number much better. Maybe Ben should look into this again and post an update if needed, because that $2M+ per plug number is a little stomach churning.

[@DSchorow]

Also said there would be 800 stations when they are done. That means an average of 4 charges per station, so the cost of a station would be $10 million. It still seems like too much to me. Something is wrong with the data.

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

The figure is actually $250,000 per port, squarely in the range of a study of 54 ports across 36 sites along major transportation corridors in California. NEVI's goal is to stand up 5,000 stations/20,000 DCFC ports.

[@finnysamuel2512]

Hi Ben, love your contents and insights. Quick question any reason you can find why TESLA was not part of this program and why they were able to install significantly higher number of supercharging stations in this pair of time we’re only seven chargers were installed?

[@unclegeorge7845]

Trump doesn't confuse anything. He simple says what fits his objectives.

[@mackie169]

@@unclegeorge7845 There you go. That’s exactly what’s going on here. Not sure Trump has said anything publicly that’s truthful in the past decade. Just negatively pump, and pump some more his followers.

[@richardfolden3860]

@@mackie169Biden won’t be your boyfriend, sweetheart.

[@MrVelociraptor75]

@@richardfolden3860 And Trump will be yours? I heard he has big hands, so, good for you

[@richardfolden3860]

@@MrVelociraptor75 whatever it takes to set the country straight, comrade.

[@bobbybishop5662]

Just like every other politician .

[@silveravnt]

If only there were a company they could contract to build charging stations. But after not paying SpaceX for providing internet to every house in America, as promised, I doubt Tesla would bid for the job. The bottom line is that very few stations have been built by this failure of an administration. I'm glad I chose Tesla and the charging infrastructure is one of the reasons.

[@jamesrm12001]

Ben, please do a video regarding the claim that EVs emit dangerous radiation. This claim is everywhere

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Please submit what you find here bensullins.com/fud

[@Battscam]

@jamesrm12001 even Tesla warns of EMF Radiation and how to be Safer around it

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

posted

[@williamdunn9880]

Red tape....it's killing progress

[@gpsfinancial6988]

At the State and utility level

[@williamdunn9880]

@gpsfinancial6988 all levels really. When I had solar installed the actual work took about two weeks (that was doing it myself), the permitting and utility approval took 5 months.

[@tims8603]

You mean to tell me Trump lies? Who'da thought.

[@louneissen1603]

Trump is not a great reference for the truth and business credentials.

[@leelightfoot1627]

I see on GM authority Posted on the November 6th it is only 107 cars being recalled. Article by Rhian Hunt.

[@holmanjp]

If they would have given that money to Elon. They would all be installed by now, he also could have double or tripled the amount of Chargers for the same price. Hence waist full government spending

[@ImLivinSD]

Ahh yes the old steeling of the money for my construction companies on the take. And you all wonder where all the money went. Once you go Green you will bebroke.

[@TerryHickey-xt4mf]

waist?

[@holmanjp]

@@TerryHickey-xt4mf good catch MR. Homophones pointer outer guy.

[@tlangton]

Due diligence on who does the construction? What did you mean by that Ben? Please elaborate.

[@naxxtor]

@@tlangton I'm not Ben, but he was likely referring to a tender process which is common practice for any public funded contract to ensure private companies are not unfairly favoured and compete for the job based on objective measures of how well they would achieve the goals of the public body through undertaking the contract. It's often an arduous process, but without it you run the risk of governments distorting the market, reinforcing monopolies, or outright corruption offering inflated contracts to companies that will never deliver any value. Having said that, it's not perfect and those things still happen when participants know how to "play the game" of the tender process. There are companies that exclusively focus on winning tenders and then just subcontract the actual work out. Sometimes they subcontract to another company who they competed against in the tender.

[@tlangton]

@@naxxtor Does due diligence include favoring of minority contractors? That is what is included in the bill that was passed. Just the opposite of what you outlined in your reply.

[@dougloughery5385]

Do a comparison of how many Tesla super chargers have been built in the same time period.

[@MickMcGuire]

Here in Florida the governor submitted a great plan but guess what he did, you have a website to submit to get funding but they never opened it up so it's gone nowhere because of triggered desantis

[@bdennyw1]

I never read that as that they have spent the money. Those chargers are still increasing expensive and slow compared to tesla chargers

[@1Electricman]

I'm one of those guys that support BEV'S and Donald Trump. Not living in the USA, we are still affected by policies that you guys adopted. There should never be large amounts of federal or state dollars being spent on EV infrastructure. Just pull all the funding of the oil and gas companies so it will be an even playing field, and then people will choose the cheapest option.

[@extragoode]

I could never support someone so divisive as Trump, but I completely agree with the part about canceling the funding for fossil fuels. Even if all the fossil fuel subsidies were just SCHEDULED to be ended in 5 to 10 years it would cause enough of a scramble by everyone involved to switch to the more financially palatable form of energy.

[@stevewilson6193]

Spoken like someone that doesn't live in the USA. without our government funding and policies, we wouldn't have EVs, chargers, or internet. Government plays a huge role in pushing forth markets. how do you think the Chinese have been so successful with their EVs? you think the market did that by itself?

[@richardfolden3860]

@@extragoodethe other side is more divisive. Maybe don’t swallow do hard next time CNN is on. 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@richardfolden3860]

@@stevewilson6193commie says what?

[@1Electricman]

@extragoode the Democrats started the Civil War in 1860 and are trying to start another one. The Democrats are responsible for destroying countries all around the world. I've worked in a couple of African countries, so i know firsthand.

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

The administration is mostly unrelated to the rollout of public charging by private companies - the administration can make things more or less favorable, but that's the extent of it. Same with jobs, government doesn't create jobs (except for those directly working for a government agency), instead private companies create the jobs - the government can make things easier or harder for companies to do that. 20 chargers in 2 years seems really slow. Tesla can slap down chargers in a few weeks in some cases, but typically take months due to red tape.

[@BlackhawkPilot]

I have only used a public charger three times in nine years of EV use. A hone Level II charger has been more than adequate.

[@josephduvivier3322]

I bit deceptive. You really need level 3 charging when traveling outside the range of home charging. I have used Level 3 charging (CCS) several times, though only a percent or two of the total charging I have done because I almost always charge at home. I have only used Level 2 away from home twice, when staying at motels, so it seems to me that spending government money on more Level 2 charging is missing the point. You really don't want to spend hours charging on a road trip. Level 3 is really needed more than Level 2.

[@JasonRaneses]

The theme of these rebuttal, lies, misinformation videos on the channel is becoming a bit much. Informative for sure. Miss your original content though.

[@simonthebroken9691]

Thank you. Details matter.

[@RobertMcClure]

Trump says things that aren't true? Whaasat? You don't say.

[@basementstudio7574]

They're not misunderstanding, he's just a liar doing what a liar does. Just remember this: If he's taking, he's lying.

[@ttkddry]

@Basement: he points out the government is not efficient in achieving it's goal in a reasonable time frame, with a huge budget. A private company like Tesla has put in how many chargers in the same period? At what average cost? Sure, it is easy to laugh away Trumps claim but he has a point... I do not care, it is YOUR tax money...

[@nendraprimasta890]

It shows that Trump does not read past the article title. Such a shame that spurring nonsense leads to people have to explain what it really means, our intelligence is being dragged to his level of stupid.

[@vincewhite5087]

Last I heard, trump was at 33,000 lies. Not sure what his current level is at.

[@silveravnt]

Have you ever questioned what the corporate media tells you?

[@conradfuller6697]

Thank Ben, great to get a clear understanding of what that policy is all about.

[@bobbyfaison1901]

You've been on an absolute roll the last few months! I've been subscribed for years and don't think I've ever seen this many videos in such a short span. Great FUD busting

[@GWAForUTBE]

Hey Ben. Tell us why comment bars disabled from Piston pundits channel. Hmmm

[@truhartwood3170]

To debunk anything Trump says you can basically do so by just pointing out that it was, in fact, Trump who said it.

[@CharlesGeraghty]

Does that apply to illegal immigration and voter registration too?

[@truhartwood3170]

@CharlesGeraghty Uh.. Obviously.

[@truhartwood3170]

@@CharlesGeraghty Just google "Trump immigration statements fact check". Or the same thing but with voter registration. But get a drink and some snacks as there is SO MUCH to debunk it will take quite a while to go through all the many and various ways he is so totally wrong on so very many things. And if you've believed him you are in for a difficult journey when you discover how dupped you've been. At least you can educate yourself so that you're right about things going forward!

[@CharlesGeraghty]

Has illegal immigration increased in the last few years?

[@truhartwood3170]

@@CharlesGeraghty Yes. Did Dems and Republicans try to do something about it? Yes. Who swatted that down? Trump. Because he wants to run on there being a problem, not actually solve it. Are they eating the dogs and cats? Haha! No! He said immigrants are leading to increased crime, but immigrants commit less crime per capita than US born citizens. He said they're taking jobs, but the US has seen unemployment go down at the same time illegal immigration has gone up. Meanwhile when there was the big crackdown in Florida, construction sites closed down, farmers couldn't harvest, etc because no workers showed up. Also, unless you're Native American, you're the descendants of immigrants. 98% of Americans are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants who went to the US looking to escape persecution and to build a better life for their families.

[@RudiJock]

No wonder the Left see Trump as a 'Clown'. The Right is rightly pissed at 'wrongful claims' without fact-checking and not telling the whole story. Unfortunately, we like to speak of what we think we know, often before thinking and declaring as close to correct info as possible. Ben is right- communication is key and discussion over argument is needed.

[@RussellFineArt]

It’s a full- time job combating Trump’s lies and BS. Most all of us Tesla customers are disgusted with Musk and his lunacy and hope, Tesla fires him.

[@alarjak]

No we are not. The fact is there corruption in covernment and no efficiency, that has to be corrected ASP.

[@louishendricks-tv1sx]

EVs have a lot to prove and a way to go before US people in my fly over country will make this investment. We seem to be in some kind of middle ground between ICE and EVs that is hurting both industries. People are hanging on to their old ICE and just not buying anything new! I know I am!

[@marvenlunn6086]

Should have the charging stations in another 100 years

[@MitoRoshi3586]

7.5billion from our budget… laughable

[@robsquared2]

I'd use only my L2 home charger if Hyundai didn't give me 2 years of free electrons.

[@777Outrigger]

Reliable Tesla Superchargers is what we need. Such a great system already in place, reliable and easy to use, and growing rapidly. Government not needed. I don't care what they've built or will build with government money, It's a waste.

[@silveravnt]

"Government not needed" should be a bumper sticker.

[@pattersonbj]

At 6:20, you're telling the lie in the opposite direction. I'm not disputing the number of charging stations, posts, etc being commissioned. Far from it. But it had little to do with Lieden/Hairass, and everything to do with the free market. It seems that even with personnel disputes, Tesla continued to build Supercharger stations. Likewise, Rivian got into the EV Charger business and stepped their game up. And Electrify America and the others also started to step their game up as well. Why? Because more people drive medium to long distances in their BEVs now than people think, and some people are only able to charge their BEVs at DC Fast-Chargers. In short, you can actually earn a profit operating DC Fast-Charge stations, even with the greater equipment costs when compared to the complete cost of a gas station, including the storage tanks. If you buy electricity for 15 cents per kWh, and resell it for 41 cents, and you actually have people lining up to buy it, you're golden.

[@Serge0329]

How come Tesla can build superchargers like mushrooms after the rain, and others can’t???

[@richardfolden3860]

They aren’t democrats.

[@Xetairex]

@@richardfolden3860Trump is trying to end all EV development. Are you really that brain dead? Too much washing of your grey cells from the MAGA propaganda machine?

[@Xetairex]

Elon has fired the entire supercharger department, in case you were asleep and didn’t get the news.

[@Serge0329]

@@Xetairex I believe you are mistaken, he did laid off many, but not entire

[@Phillytesla1902]

Check my math, 7.5B ÷ 3000 chargers comes to $2.5 million per charger. I don't think Musk paid anywhere near that. Another example of the Federal gov getting involved in private business.

[@ziploc2000]

@@Phillytesla1902 Chargers, or charging station with many actual chargers at each?

[@yodaiam1000]

I thought the same thing but I think Ben's numbers are wrong. It looks like there was a goal of 500 000 chargers. That is about $15 000 per charger which makes a lot more sense.

[@daryl9053]

I would bet the first few chargers Tesla built were not cheap either. There's a lot of upfront costs just getting started before rollouts pick up speed.

[@sd70cal]

Private industry is good at minimizing costs. One of the ways to do that in this case would be to identity places where there was both a need and also low cost for install. Governments are better at installing in areas where there are limited resources or higher costs in resources such as land acquisition or infrastructure buildout. Private investors would never have built roadways and power grids in the middle of nowhere which is why the government did. And it was done at a much higher cost per user than a private company could have justified.

[@yodaiam1000]

@@sd70cal Many of the private companies are just being bought out by oil companies. They then deliberately let the service and maintenance lapse to discourage the use of the chargers.

[@rkgsd]

Musk is in for a rude awakening. Trump will find a reason to throw him under the bus like just about anyone else under his command. He's not going to turn his back on the legacy American automakers and Big Oil.

[@gledatelj1979]

Maybe government should not be in the business unless they tax themselves. You are so soft spoken that it's irritating.

[@kneekoo]

The truth is this whole thing is too damn slow. When there's federal backing, there should also be less red tape. If some regulations slow down things too much, they should just make the necessary changes to speed this up. It's in the public interest to have more chargers, so this transcends politics and de-regulating this could have bi-partisan support. Have they tried removing some red tape so far? It doesn't seem to work.

[@davidzelkowski9948]

Whenever the government is involved it will be woefully inefficient and take much longer then projected. I would much rather see private industry take the lead.

[@jeffreymckie3328]

Took a lot less time when Tesla did theirs.

[@RW-ur7ym]

Ben, do you have anything in common with Harris? 😂

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Easy…Trump, Harris and I all love EVs

[@edouglasroche]

Seriously don't defend the undefendable, the building of chargers by the government in the inflation reduction act has been a unmitigated disaster that needs to be canceled. Just because the numbers are overstated by Trump does not change the fact that the implementation has been so bad and costly they make Electrify America look extremely competent. Leave the charging station construction to Tesla and other companies not the government.

[@yodaiam1000]

Overstated is an understatement. He is claiming $1 billion per charger. The infrastructure has to be built. At $15000 per charger, I think that is reasonable but maybe too optimistic. The chargers are about $5000 to $10000 but then there are install costs as well. I have seen $30 000 to $100 000 all installed. The goal is 500 000 chargers. I don't know where Ben got the number of 3000 chargers but that is obviously wrong. If you look at the cost of a gas pump, that is actually quite cheap and that doesn't include the underground tanks and all the other surrounding infrastructure. The running costs of EV chargers is also much lower than gas pumps.

[@daryl9053]

There's "overstating" and then there is "complete bullshittery" where you multiply the total program cost by the number of chargers built to intentionally gaslight their followers because they know they won't actually look up the information or do any critical thinking.

[@MTNRanger]

@@yodaiam1000 If you look up how much they cost, the only ones in the $5-10k range are 20 kW units. 350 kW stations are easily $50k or more. I just priced out a Flo Ultra FL1DS2A1AA​-FL-P18 (CCS1 320 kW, 4 charging plugs) , which is used in the NEVI program. List price for the hardware is $185,000. A Flo SmartDC CCS1 50 kW price is $62,500. Add installation which can be in the $10-20k range, it's not cheap.

[@edouglasroche]

@@yodaiam1000 Fine if you want to say Trump's claims are beyond overstated. But my issue is an unbiased video would be, yeah the numbers Trump says is not remotely correct, but he is not wrong about is the governments attempt to build charging stations has been a disaster to this point. And we need to take a hard look at the program to see we would be better off canceling it and spending the money elsewhere. Ben unfortunately quotes a bunch of empty promises that are clearly not happening as fact then acts like Trump is wrong in every way, which is the same opinion issue EV fud resorts to so often. Confirmation bias got the better of Ben.

[@silveravnt]

But Trump said he ate a dozen sandwiches when he really ate 13. Liar!

[@tlangton]

If the percentage of people using public chargers is so small, why are we spending 7.5 billion dollars to install stations that only 5% of the people will use?

[@kingranch51]

2 to 3 years to build one of these stations? 5:40 cmon now

[@bigadventure3797]

Semantics... How long it takes is definitely the crux of the issue. Whether it's allocated or completed makes little difference.

[@bdan2500]

Actually the ‘mistake’ is in the absurdly long time frames it is taking to get these built, if they ever get built when the federal govt gets involved and also in the pricing since the vast majority of these appear to be level 2 chargers which cost, what, $600 per charger plus connection fees - i mean so 135,000 of those plus double that for electrical wiring is $160 million which is a LOT LESS than a billion so its everything, failure to launch the program, overpaying for chargers and installation, giving people a $7,500 tax credit for buying/leasing $80,000 electric SUVs, etc.

[@alexmckenna1171]

Trump is skilled at telling his audience what they want to hear - however blatantly untrue or misleading. Just like the Daily Mail, Fox News etc etc

[@mikeflanary642]

Don is the con man. Everyone says it. *waves hands*

[@cafl9844]

@@alexmckenna1171 That only works in the US! Trump would be laughed off stage in Europe!

[@richardfolden3860]

Lol, swallow harder.

[@madpuppet666]

So is Elon "we can do this RIGHT NOW" Musk. its not surprising to see them join cults.

[@jeanmenieur]

I wish Trump understood the economics, science and environmental implications of EVs. It would be more convenient for the nation in the long term. With his mindset I see China taking over the USA in the automotive industry

[@Spatial_Computer]

I just saw "Not Just Bikes" do a video on autonomous EVs to 1.3 million viewers over a month. Please bring some data to that video Ben.