While electric vehicles proliferate, charging stations lag behind

Electric vehicles recharge their batteries at the East Crissy Field charge station in San Francisco, California, on March 9. (Photo: AFP)

United States efforts to build a national network of electric vehicle charging stations are moving slowly as states figure out how to fairly dole out public funding to kick-start a new service industry.

As the Biden administration prepares to give states US$7.5 billion for new charging stations, a similar recent effort suggests a difficult path is ahead.