AP FACT CHECK: Biden hypes $1T bill impact on electric cars

WASHINGTON (AP) — Boasting about his $1 trillion infrastructure package, President Joe Biden overstated its reach by claiming it would result in 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations and meet his pledge to nudge half of U.S. drivers into EVs by decade’s end.

The measure receiving final congressional passage late Friday cuts in half the money that Biden had said was needed for the charging stations. Money could start flowing to the states within a month after the bill is signed, although construction can't begin until the Transportation Department approves their spending plans.

While a step forward, automakers have made clear they won't meet White House targets that half of all new car sales be electric by 2030 based on federal investment in that legislation alone.

A look at the claims vs. the facts:

BIDEN: “We’re going to build out the first-ever national network of charging stations all across the country — over 500,000 of them. ... So, you’ll be able to go across the whole darn country, from East Coast to West Coast, just like you’d stop at a gas station now. These charging stations will be available.” — remarks Saturday.

THE FACTS: Not so much.

The legislation, which awaits Biden’s signature, provides $7.5 billion in federal grants to build a national network of charging stations. That’s less than the $15 billion originally cited by Biden to pay for the half a million charging stations he promised during the presidential campaign.

Analysts say the money is a good start but isn’t enough to spur widespread electric vehicle adoption.

The International Council on Clean Transportation, a research group, for instance, says the United States would need 2.4 million electric vehicle charging stations by 2030 if about 36% of new car sales were electric. In 2020, there...