EV Infrastructure

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law in 2021, included $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging infrastructure including $5 billion for DC fast chargers along Alternative Fuel Corridors and $2.5 billion for the Charging and Fuel Infrastructure discretionary grant program. That latter program can be used for DC fact charging or Level 2 charging in urban and rural communities.

In spring 2023, RVIA released a report “Reimaging the EV Charging Landscape to Support Future Innovation: Future-Proofing Through Policy” which lays out that some of this once-in-a-generation federal funding should be invested in deploying pull-through charging sites that can service EVs towing RVs and the coming electric-assist trailers and electric motorized RVs. A failure to act proactively will slow the electrification of commercial vehicles and hinder the growth of new products, including eRVs. Additionally, acting now to incorporate pull-through charging will prevent the need for more costly retrofitting of existing EV charging stations in the not-so-distant future and ensure efficient use of pull-in charging. 

The need for pull-through charging is already here – there are already EVs towing RVs – as well as being a future need as manufacturers prototype and explore electric-assist trailers and motorized eRVs. Interestingly the federal requirement that there be four 150kw chargers every 50 miles is important for the RV industry as tow vehicle range is impacted by towing and RVers tend to travel further distances on their trips than typical passenger vehicle drivers.

The development and funding for robust EV charging infrastructure in the bipartisan infrastructure law aligns with the RV industry’s efforts to work closely with the public and private campground industry to improve Americans’ camping and RVing experiences.

To ensure greater, more sustainable access to outdoor spaces and meet the current and future needs of RVers states should incentivize pull-through charging and sites hosts and charging companies should deploy pull-through charging where appropriate.

The RV Industry Association supports the deployment of pull-through DC fast and Level 2 charging to ensure RVers with EV tow vehicles and RVers driving electric motorized RVs and towing electric assist trailers can adequately and efficiently charge their vehicles and continue to access and enjoy the great outdoors.