Elon Musk reminded the world that the private sector has already built a network of publicly subsidized charging stations for electric automobiles as the Biden administration plods along with its plan.

Saturday, Vice President Joe Biden boasted about the administration’s plans on Twitter.

“We’re building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country. The great American road trip will be fully electrified,” he wrote.

Musk, whose Tesla charging network is already complete, provided the president with a rebuttal.

Musk, Tesla’s CEO, tweeted, “Or you can just buy a Tesla.”

Or you can just buy a Tesla

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 4, 2022

According to a news release from the Department of Transportation, more than $1.5 billion will be invested between the 2022 and 2023 federal fiscal years to construct EV chargers along about 75,000 miles of highways in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The investment, which was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, would consume $5 billion over the course of five years, according to a press statement.

In contrast to gas-powered automobiles, which may accept fuel from any petrol station, not all electric vehicles have the same type of charging outlet.

According to CNN, Tesla has the largest network of chargers in North America and has recently attempted to convince other electric car manufacturers to make their vehicles compatible with Musk’s Tesla network.

“We created our own connector, as there was no standard back then & Tesla was only maker of long range electric cars. That said, we’re making our Supercharger network open to all other EVs,” Musk tweeted in July, as reported by CNBC.

Thank you Elon Musk for the 16 Tesla charging stations n Victorville, CA. They are beautiful and fill me with hope for our city. pic.twitter.com/PptyOlubI7

— Carri Wohlwend (@CarriWohlwend) November 30, 2022

Similarly, initiatives are underway to facilitate Tesla owners’ use of other chargers.

Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican representative, believes that constructing a network when one already exists is not rational.

“The government should not be in the business of building electric car charging stations. Tesla already has a nationwide network of privately financed, owned, and maintained charging stations that allow you to drive a Tesla virtually anywhere in the United States,” he tweeted.

The government should not be in the business of building electric car charging stations.

Tesla already has a nationwide network of privately financed, owned, and maintained charging stations that allow you to drive a Tesla virtually anywhere in the United States. pic.twitter.com/jP6uIavPgi

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 4, 2022

More on this story via The Western Journal:

In April, after Musk met with Biden officials to discuss the future of charging stations, the Department of Transportation said in a statement that there was “​​broad consensus that charging stations and vehicles need to be interoperable and provide a seamless user experience, no matter what car you drive or where you charge your EV,” according to CNBC. CONTINUE READING…