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By Hope Yen

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON 鈥� States are getting the go-ahead to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations that would place new or upgraded ones every 50 miles along interstate highways as part of the Biden administration鈥檚 plan to spur widespread adoption of the zero-emission cars.

The administration on Thursday announced the availability of $5 billion in federal money over five years under聽the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Officials sketched out a vision of seamless, climate-friendly car travel from coast to coast.

Under Transportation Department requirements, states must submit plans to the federal government. Construction could begin by this fall if states focus first on highway routes, rather than neighborhoods and shopping centers. Each station would need to have at least four fast-charger ports, which enable drivers to fully recharge their vehicles in about an hour.

Many technical details are to be worked out, and the administration acknowledges it will take work to persuade drivers accustomed to gas-powered cars, particularly in rural areas, to switch. The money is far less than the $15 billion that President Joe Biden had envisioned to fulfill a campaign promise of 500,000 charging stations by 2030; substantial private investment may be needed to make the plan work.

鈥淎 century ago, America ushered in the modern automotive era; now America must lead the electric vehicle revolution,鈥� said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who will have final sign-off over most funding aspects.

Buttigieg made the announcement in front of the Transportation Department along with White House officials. They were flanked by a pair of black Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs in the federal government鈥檚 growing electric fleet that he and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm drive. The vehicle鈥檚 retail price starts around $44,000 and climbs to $60,000-plus including options. Currently, those SUVs are made in Mexico.

Buttigieg made a special appeal to rural drivers, suggesting that wide-open spaces of the U.S. no longer need to be a 鈥渧alley of death鈥� for EV drivers.

鈥淢any might think of them as a luxury item,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he reality is nobody benefits more from EVs in principle than those who drive the longest distances 鈥� often our rural Americans.鈥�

The law provides an additional $2.5 billion for local grants, planned for distribution later this year, to fill remaining gaps in the charging network in rural areas and in disadvantaged communities. States failing to meet all the federal requirements risk delays in getting approval from the Federal Highway Administration or getting no money at all.

Electric vehicles聽amounted to less than 3 percent of new auto sales in the U.S. last year, but forecasters expect big increases in the next decade. According to a Consumer Reports survey, anxiety about limited range and the availability of charging stations were among consumers鈥� top concerns about owning an EV.

Granholm described the initial $5 billion investment as creating 鈥渢he spine鈥� of the national network.

鈥淐hina has been leading the race up to now, but this is about to change,鈥� Biden said recently, 鈥渂ecause America is building convenient, reliable, equitable national public charging networks. So, wherever you live, charging an electric vehicle will be quick and easy.鈥�

Currently, electric vehicle owners charge their vehicles at home 80 percent of the time. But that is likely to change as more people who don鈥檛 have space at home for a charging station buy EVs.

Under the Transportation Department plan, states would be eligible to build out EV stations in neighborhoods and cities once the Federal Highway Administration and Buttigieg certify they have done their part to fulfill commitments to the highway EV charging network (alternative fuel corridors).

Direct-current fast chargers, which can charge a car up to 80 percent of its battery capacity in 20 to 45 minutes, are quite expensive ($40,000 to $100,000), limiting the number that can be built. However, they enable drivers to quickly get back on a road such as a highway.

Jessika Trancik, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who studies EV charging, called the administration鈥檚 approach a good first step. A successful strategy to spur wider EV use, she said, will require construction of charging stations in a host of different locations, especially faster-charging ones along highways and slower ones near homes and workplaces.

Federal money could be distributed to accelerate private investment, Trancik said, with greater government incentives for areas that might otherwise be underserved by the private sector.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about government going out and installing every one of these chargers themselves,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also about nudging private-sector investment.鈥�

Editor鈥檚 note: AP auto writer Tom Krisher in Detroit and AP writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.