EV rollout will require huge investments in strained U.S. power grids

FILE PHOTO: A crew member works to restore 5G following an unprecedented winter storm in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 3, 2021. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File Photo

(Reuters) - During several days of brutal cold in Texas, the city of Austin saw its fleet of 12 new electric buses rendered inoperative by a statewide power outage. That problem will be magnified next year, when officials plan to start purchasing electric-powered vehicles exclusively.

The city's transit agency has budgeted $650 million over 20 years for electric buses and a charging facility for 187 such vehicles. But officials are still trying to solve the dilemma of power interruptions like the Texas freeze.