GM aims to double the amount of charging stations in the U.S. and Canada

General Motors (GM) is planning on doubling the number of EV charging stations in the U.S. and Canada by targeting rural and underserved communities.

Video transcript

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Sticking with transportation, I'm watching GM here. The company's dealer community charging program has started. GM's working with local dealers to install 40,000 level two chargers across the country, targeting rural and underserved communities. These charters aren't located at the dealerships themselves, but areas where the dealer, working with local authorities, determines what's the most useful spot for these 40,000 chargers. That would double the amount of level two chargers in the country right now. And the automaker has earmarked 750 million bucks for that program right now.

DAVE BRIGGS: And it's interesting now, just to go into that, what you mean by level two, from what I understand, that means it takes hours to charge an EV all the way up, as opposed to the top level, which can charge it in 30 minutes. So I'm thinking to myself, where do you put these if someone has a couple of hours to then charge their EV?

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: They're talking about, like--

DAVE BRIGGS: How significant is that?

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Because DC chargers, those fast ones, are really expensive. So the next level below it, level two, put them at a coffee shop, a library, a government building, and people have business to do there. Park the car, charger's there. A bit more better access for local people.

DAVE BRIGGS: It would be much more helpful if they were, of course, the more expensive variety, get a lot of more people charged. But and then Tesla can use them with the converter, I believe, right?

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Yeah.

DAVE BRIGGS: OK, interesting stuff.