As more electric vehicles hit the market and become available to more consumers, the need for places to charge EV batteries continues to grow. Particularly, there’s room for innovation in areas where access to stations is few and far between – EV charging deserts. Biden’s goal of installing 500,000 chargers by 2030 means that equipping these spots with limited public charging must be addressed.

SparkCharge is one of those companies offering a novel solution. Through their mobile app, EV owners can order a recharge and one of their vans is sent to the driver’s location. “It’s portable Roadie hardware is basically a stack of batteries that can be wheeled right up to the vehicle” and a stack of four can provide up to 60-70 miles of range in an hour. SparkCharge tries to specifically service communities under served by traditional charging companies.

Volta uses data analysis and a media/hardware combination to help communities target where to place their charging stations, based off data like demographics, driver behavior and local mobility patterns.

In addition to technologies and hardware, some companies are implementing rebate programs to make chargers more accessible. Consumers Energy based in Michigan is targeting its rebate programs to homeowners, fleets, and those looking to install chargers in public places like gas stations. Offering rebates to install chargers incentivizes customers and increases charging accessibility.

Expanding charging availability in underserved areas means providing enough charging options for EV owners across the map. And, building stations in areas with lower EV adoption might just help accelerate EV adoption in these communities. When building out EV infrastructure, it’s important to note where there are gaps, so that certain communities are not left behind. Josh Aviv of SparkCharge notes the progress of Biden’s administration in solving the pain point of owning an EV on a mass adoption scale. “They’ve started out with the highways, I think the next step is to focus on the communities and cities.”