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Tesla is agitate onward with a plan to work up an electric big rig charge corridor stretching from Texas to California , despite being ignore by a moneymaking Union funding programme that ’s part of President Biden ’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law . But the original orbit of the labor could still change , TechCrunch has learned .
The company had beenseeking most $ 100 millionfrom the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure ( CFI ) Discretionary Grant programme under the Federal Highway Administration ( FHWA ) . Combined with around $ 24 million of its own money , Tesla wanted to work up nine electric semi - truck charging station between Laredo , Texas and Fremont , California .
The corridor , if build , would be a first - of - its - sort saddle meshwork that could enable both long - distance and regional electric hauling and help cleanse up a big ball of the otherwise dirty transportation sector . Without it , though , Tesla ’s hope to electrify heavy - tariff trucking could fall even further behind schedule than it already is .
But Tesla was not among the 47 recipient role that the Biden administrationannouncedin January . conjointly , those winners received $ 623 million to build up electric vehicle point and refueling station across the country . This is despite Tesla win around13 % of all other charging awardsso far from the Infrastructure Act , though that has only empty the caller around $ 17 million .
Rohan Patel , who provide his VP positioning at Tesla this calendar week as the companylaid off10 % of its men , tell in a message to TechCrunch that Tesla may turn to state funding opportunities , or next round of the CFI course of study . Some of the sites along the route “ are no - brainers even without funding , ” he say .
The 1,800 - mile route would theoretically connect Tesla ’s two North American vehicle factories , as well as one that is plan — butdelayed — in Mexico . Each post was earlier slated to be fit with eight 750kW battery charger for Tesla Semis , and four chargers undefended to other electric truck . It ’s unreadable how effective it would be if the companionship was unable to work up all nine stations , which are situated at roughly adequate distances along the path .
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About half of the Biden administration’schoices for the CFI fundingfocused on building out EV buck infrastructure in “ urban and rural communities , including at convenient and high-pitched - employment locations like schools , park , libraries , multi - family housing , and more . ”
The other one-half was dedicated to funding 11 “ corridor ” undertaking , including a number on the same I-10 corridor that makes up part of Tesla ’s proposed itinerary . That includes $ 70 million to the North Texas Council of Governments to work up up to five hydrogen fueling stations for medium and dense - duty trucks in the Dallas , Houston , Austin and San Antonio area .
“ The labor will help create a hydrogen corridor from southerly California to Texas , ” the Department of Transportation write in a statement in January .
“ Funding hydrogen stations will go down as purely wasted money , ” Patel severalize TechCrunch this week .
While he no longer speak on behalf of Tesla , he also criticized fund H substructure when he was still with the company .
“ Governments around the globe are wasting revenue enhancement dollar mark on hydrogen for light / sonorous responsibility infrastructure , ” hewroteon X in February . “ Like smoke , it ’s never too tardy to quit . ”
Funding is n’t the only challenge to the undertaking . Another complicating factor could be Tesla ’s late restructuring .
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the party is now“balls to the wall for autonomy,”and has reportedly already sacrificed a plannedlow - cost EVin favour of making a purpose - build robotaxi the company ’s antecedence . The Semi is years behind schedule , and Tesla has only built around 100 to date .
Despite all this , the Tesla Semi program is still easy attracting customers . Just a few sidereal day after the restructuring , the head of the Semi program , Dan Priestley , announce via social media a newpotential customerfor the trucks . Priestley also said in March that Tesla has been using Semis toship battery packsfrom Nevada to the Fremont factory .
