EV chargers 'on trajectory' to be as common as gas stations, EVgo CEO says
EVgo's CEO says government spending on chargers is a 'bridge' to unlocking corporate spending
Shares of charging company EVgo (EVGO) soared on Thursday as revenue jumped over 280% year over year, offering some respite for investors who suffered through a rough 2022.
While 2023 has gotten off to a strong start and charging networks in general are poised to explode in growth.
Part of that growth is coming from government resources, namely the White House’s $7.5 billion EV charger buildout, focused on the national highway system and rural areas. The plan aims to have 500,000 new chargers online by 2030; however research firms have said the country will needs millions by then.
“What's clever about the policy initiatives is that they are building a bridge between when there are enough EVs to have this be completely sustainable,” EVgo CEO Cathy Zoi said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. EVgo is also one of the many partners the White House is using to build out the national network.
Government money can be a catalyst to create growth of a nascent system, particularly with infrastructure, in this case a charging network. “So it's in the early moments that government policy, government incentives can help build that bridge for capital markets to create that confidence, to invest in this infrastructure, that will be absolutely essential going forward,” she says.
The percentages of EV sold last year rose to 6%, double the year before. Zoi is confident that as the White House plan unfolds, and the critical mass of EVs start to enter the roads, much more private money and investment will come in.
When asked whether the U.S. will see EV chargers as commonplace as gas stations, Zoi said the country is not there yet, but it's coming. "We're on that trajectory now; EVgo and others, we're all building right now to satisfy demand.
Judge Juan M. Merchan wrote that Trump “appears to take the position that his situation and this case are unique and that the pre-trial publicity will never subside. However, this view does not align with reality.”
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