About $623 million in federal grants were awarded to 22 states and Puerto Rico to install electric vehicle charging stations as part of the Biden administration’s push to shift the United States away from gas-powered vehicles.
Cities, states and tribal groups nationwide were named recipients Thursday for funding to install chargers along heavily traveled highways and in underserved areas. The grants are part of a broader $7.5 billion program by the Biden administration to advance the adoption of electric vehicles. Additional grants are expected to be announced later.
Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Hyundai and other auto makers are spending billions of dollars to construct factories for electric vehicles and the lithium-ion batteries that power them. Federal and state governments are pushing for the transition to EVs to combat climate change.
The private sector has ramped up efforts to install EV charging stations at retailers, apartment developments, gas stations and other locations. But there remains a dearth of electric vehicle charging stations, causing consumers to worry about getting stranded if their electric vehicle runs out of power and they’re not close to a charging station.
The first EV charging stations funded through the federal program opened last month at a Pilot truck stop in London, Ohio, and in a Bank of America parking lot in Kingston, New York. The new round of grants is expected to accelerate the expansion, with some organizations saying they will immediately begin the process of doling out the funds for installation.
Representatives from winning areas issued statements on Thursday about their plans. The Atlanta Regional Commission said it expects installation backed by its $6.1 million award to take place over the next 12 to 18 months. The planning organization will prioritize groups that will use the funds to put chargers in underserved areas, CEO Anna Roach said in a news release.
The Atlanta Regional Commission did not disclose details of the types of chargers it will deploy, or the equipment manufacturers or charging networks. A spokesman for the organization said that specific locations will be announced later.
The city of Mesa, Arizona, received $12 million to install charging stations as well as charging docks for e-bicycles and e-scooters. “It’ll mean convenience for drivers, lower emissions and even more good-paying clean energy jobs,” U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, who represents Mesa, said in a news release.
The private sector has already stepped up its game on EV charger installations. Mercedes-Benz in November released images for its planned network of canopy-covered charging stations, which will carry the Mercedes brand and offer perks to Mercedes drivers.
Not all grants will be used specifically for charging equipment designed for vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries. A group of local governments in Texas received $70 million to build five hydrogen fueling stations for trucks along highways in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.
The next three largest awards announced Thursday were $64 million to New Mexico; $56 million for the Central Valley of California; and $51 million to Puerto Rico. Metropolitan areas that were awarded grants included New York City; Cleveland, Ohio; the San Francisco Bay area; Durham, North Carolina; and Boise, Idaho.
Other grant recipients announced Thursday include:
- $56 million for truck-charging stations in Taft and Gustine, towns in the San Joaquin Valley of central California. The stations will also include chargers for light-duty vehicles.
- $15 million to the state of Maryland to develop charging stations in urban, suburban and low and moderate-income neighborhoods. Coppin State University in Baltimore was named as a potential location in Maryland.
- $12 million for an EV charging center for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles on Interstate 15 in Barstow, California, halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
- $10 million to New Jersey for charging stations at multifamily developers in disadvantaged areas and near public transit stations.
- $1.4 million to the Chilkoot Indian Association to build a charging station in Haines, Alaska.