PennDOT has announced $25 million in EV charging station investments are available for Western Pennsylvania.
On Friday, alongside the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), Secretary Mike Carroll announced the new investment from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program that has already invested $62 million in the Commonwealth.
Thanks to the NEVI program, Pennsylvania has built 37 EV stations more than double the next state and 55 stations are in the planning or construction phase.
Although the federal government has shown less interest in building EV stations Carroll believes consumers are the ones driving interest.
“Addmitily the federal government tax treatment has slowed down the rate but it hasn’t stopped it,” Carroll said. “And so they will continue and as you just stated, federal administrations change potentially every four years and the folks that have purchased electric vehicles already voted with their wallets.”
The application period for the charging stations have already gotten underway. Applications are due by November 20 and applicants should expect to receive a response within 90 days. Applicants granted awards will be 80 percent of the project cost.
The applications are also open for a wide variety of organizations, not just the large gas distributors. Schools, businesses, libraries, and more are all welcomed to apply for grants to build EV stations.
SPC Executive Director Rich Fitzgerald who has spent his life in Western Pennsylvania, including 12 years as the County Executive of the largest county, can’t believe the change he’s seen in Butler County.
“To see the desirability and the growth is wonderful,” Fitzgerald said. “But you’ve got to plan the infrastructure, the transportation, so you don’t choke it off with gridlock.”
The total timeline to build a station is expected to be a year.
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