Charging stations and battery production — USC professor discusses future of electric vehicles

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — In July, seven automakers (BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, and Stellantis) pledged over $1 billion to create 30,000 more electric vehicle charging stations across North America — which officials say could double the approximate 900 charging ports currently available across South Carolina.

Professor Bill Mustain, Associate Dean for Research in Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, and his team work on ways to boost overall EV performance.

Mustain says more charging stations will help encourage adoption of electric vehicles — particularly those who live in rural areas of South Carolina.

“There’s a lot of ‘range anxiety’ for people out there with electric vehicles, and just knowing that you have access to more stations, where not running out of charge and having to call a tow truck is really important to a lot of people,” Mustain says.

But even with announcements like Scout Motors’ investment of $2 billion in an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Blythewood, Mustain says batteries for EV’s aren’t yet being mass produced, making President Biden’s “2030 Zero Emissions Initiative” unlikely — possibly until 2050 or later.

“We simply do not have in place a supply chain that is large enough for battery materials that could provide all of the materials to manufacture all vehicles. That doesn’t exist,” says Mustain.

In the meantime, he believes hybrid electric vehicles would extend travel range and reduce emissions using a smaller battery — providing a more achievable and more likely solution.

“It’s going to take time to have access to the supply chain, and a domestically secure supply chain, so that’s a very important thing to take into consideration is who controls the lithium, cobalt, and nickel that goes into these batteries, and how fast can you build facilities that are able to manufacturer batteries at the size that we’re talking,” Mustain says.

But, what Mustain refers to as a full ecosystem for batteries, exists here in South Carolina.

“We’re in a really excellent position as a state to take a leadership role on battery manufacturing, battery recycling, whether that’s for grid scale, or for electric vehicles. So that’s one thing I think it’s important for people to know. We’re in a really strong position,” Mustain says.

As research and development around batteries continues, his aim is to help create an institute for battery innovation — showcasing new possibilities for the state at the University of South Carolina.

In 2022, South Carolina reported around 13,500 registered electric vehicles.