The Biden administration on Wednesday announced a new program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that aims to expand the infrastructure needed to keep electric vehicles charged.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways:
The White House also highlighted actions from several companies to help expand access to EV chargers, including Tesla's decision to open at least 7,500 stations in its U.S. Supercharger and Destination Charger network to non-Tesla vehicles by the end of 2024.
"All EV drivers will be able to access these stations using the Tesla app or website," the White House said in a statement. "Additionally, Tesla will more than double its full nationwide network of Superchargers, manufactured in Buffalo, New York."
Hertz and bp, meanwhile, plan to build a national network of fast-charging stations designed to serve rideshare, tax drivers, car rental customers, and the general public near "high-demand locations, such as airports."
The White House also championed efforts by companies such as General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo Cars, and Starbucks to expand the EV charging network.
The administration said all of these initiatives support President Joe Biden's goal of making electric vehicles 50 percent of all auto sales by 2030. In 2022, they made up about 10 percent of all sales.
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
Two friends have joined forces to come up with an app dedicated to making mental health more approachable and to provide users with the tools needed to improve their mental health and overall well-being. Co-Founders of the Dial App Jonah Salita and Marcel Johnson, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
On this International Women’s Day, Deb Cupp, president of Microsoft U.S., joined Cheddar News to talk about the implementation of her pillars to extend the company's culture, such as acting with care and putting the team first. "What I like about the pillars is they're very simple, so it's easy for us to think about how they show up every day in our lives," Cupp said.
