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Comment by ortusdux | Hacker News Reader

I'll note that this is part of FHWA and DOE's Alternate Fuel Corridors program, and many states applied for and got similar grants.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/alternative_fuel_corrid...

https://afdc.energy.gov/corridors

Personally, I'm glad most of the money seems to be going to electric charging stations vs hydrogen and alternate hydrocarbon fueling stations. I would have preferred if the program had focused on installing charging stations at the ~1400 highway rest stations across the country vs giving grants to business to help them install stations.

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Look where Tesla puts their Superchargers [1]. There’s a reason they go at businesses instead of rest areas. If you site them where they are at the whim of politics, your infra is in constant political/bureaucratic peril. Businesses are incentivized to keep customers coming.

Tangentially, the EV chargers are always out of order at O’hare and Midway airport parking lots. The Superchargers at the nearby gas station (ORD) [2] and the Target (MDW) [3] are always available. Tesla is incentivized to offer a highly available charging network (they don’t move EVs or receive revenue from other automakers otherwise); you want folks with an incentive to provide high uptime to own and operate these stations.

[1] https://supercharge.info/map

[2] https://www.tesla.com/findus/location/supercharger/chicagoil...

[3] https://www.tesla.com/findus/location/supercharger/ChicagoIL...

> where they are at the whim of politics, your infra is in constant political/bureaucratic peril

Whims like this: https://apnews.com/article/new-york-rest-stops-chick-fil-a-1...

Distinct issue. You’re serving transport infra, you do what the landlord says or make way for another business that will. People travel on Sundays and want to eat, regardless of your belief system.

Totally different than EV charging infra uptime and availability.

Regardless of their believe system, having a guaranteed day off every week is a nice perk in the fast food industry.

Not to mention Chick-fil-A is dang delicious.

You don't have to tell me twice. I'm a red member. haha

> There’s a reason they go at businesses instead of rest areas.

With a few grandfathered exceptions, rest areas are prohibited from hosting private enterprise.

Citation? Because I see private enterprise at many rest areas frequented between both coasts, including a Tesla supercharger in Ohio off the turnpike.

https://www.tesla.com/en_US/findus/location/supercharger/Gen...

https://www.tesla.com/en_US/findus/location/supercharger/gen...

https://reason.org/commentary/federal-ban-on-commercial-rest...

Interesting! TIL! Thanks! Something I will add to my list when chasing after congresspeople for other policy issues.

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