today's Wall Street Journal Electrical equipment manufacturers and startups that build charging networks say shortages of equipment including transformers, switchgear and electrical steel are adding months to the time it takes to build charging facilities to power electric fleets. Industry officials say the delays are being fueled by a boom in power-hungry renewable-energy projects, data centers and semiconductor factories, stretching the production capabilities of electrical equipment suppliers. Electrical equipment manufacturers said companies should expect delays to worsen for some time as the growth of new technologies flowering at once strains power-generation supply chains. Barry Powell, head of electrical products for Siemens in North America, said lead times for electrical switchgear, which helps manage power systems, stretch to 40 or 50 weeks, up from 12 to 16 weeks a few years ago.
Powell said back orders are building even though Siemens has accelerated production of the equipment. “The output is up 50% to 75%, but the demand is up 100% to 150%,” he said.