The state of Georgia hired JLL and two other firms to help devise a plan to secure federal funds for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and for advice on where to locate them.
JLL, accounting and consulting firm Ernst & Young, and architecture and engineering firm HNTB agreed to work with the Georgia Department of Transportation on the development of an electric vehicle charging plan and the state’s request for federal funds, according to a news release.
States are rushing to meet an Aug. 1 deadline for applications to receive funds from a $5 billion federal grant program. It’s part of a wider $7.5 billion federal investment plan to improve electric power equipment and make electric vehicle chargers more easily available in rural and underserved areas. President Biden has set a goal for the installation of 500,000 charging stations nationwide.
“The nature of EV infrastructure is highly complex,” Josephine Tucker, JLL's managing director of clean energy and infrastructure advisory, said in the release.
On behalf of the state of Georgia, JLL is expected to engage with "public and private stakeholders, analyzing future demand and gauging the impact of EV charging on future business models and implementations,” Tucker said.
Georgia had 1,527 charging station locations as of July 12, according to the Department of Energy, ranking eighth among all states. California has the most with 14,360. Alaska and South Dakota each have less than 60.
Electric vehicle sales are expected to grow to 48% of all new vehicle sales worldwide by 2030, up from 5% in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency. Automakers from Ford to Hyundai are racing to design and build new electric-powered vehicles.
Georgia did not disclose how much federal grant money it plans to seek for electric vehicle chargers. Terms of the agreement between the state and the three consulting firms were not disclosed.
A plethora of companies are ramping up plans to design, manufacture, install and operate charging stations. Blink Charging, one of the largest electric vehicle charging companies, last month acquired SemaConnect for $200 million to add more than 13,000 charging stations in the United States and Canada.
Meanwhile, convenience store and gas station owners hope they won’t be left out if more U.S. motorists switch to electric-powered vehicles from gasoline-engine automobiles. Large convenience store chains, including 7-Eleven and Wawa, and small operators like 24/7 Travel Stores in Kansas, have begun to install chargers at their existing locations.
Still, many convenience stores are moving slowly on the electric vehicle front. Casey’s General Stores, based in Ankeny, Iowa, said in its 2022 annual report that it has installed 114 charging stations at 25 stores. That represents 1% of Casey’s overall store footprint of 2,452 locations. It recently installed four charging stations at its location at 100 E. Bestor Drive in Geneseo, Illinois.
“Casey's is in the early stages of developing a more robust EV strategy,” the company said in its annual report. “Our current implementation strategy is designed to selectively install charging stations in locations within our footprint where we see higher levels of consumer EV usage.”