ATLANTA — Editors note: The video above is about how a GDOT partnership could build electric vehicle chargers
Georgia was one of 34 states approved funding by the Biden Administration on Wednesday to build more electric charging stations along the highway.
“This first group of 35 plans from States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now have the green light to build their pieces of the national charging network to ensure drivers can spend less on transportation costs while commuting confidently by charging along the way," U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, Georgia is estimated to receive funding yearly from 2022 to 2026, estimating $134,975,283 to complete the project. President Biden approved $900 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding as part of his infrastructure plan.
In practical terms, residents in Georgia and other states could see more charging stations popping up along major travel corridors as early as next summer. Biden aims to ultimately install 500,000 chargers across America and build a network of fast-charging stations across 53,000 miles of freeways from coast to coast.
Under the proposed guidelines, states must install at least one four-port fast-charging station every 50 miles on these corridors and ensure they are within one mile of an off-ramp to address that issue. And states must use the money to install the most powerful chargers along major freeways that connect states.
“Making electric vehicle charging accessible to all Americans is critical to achieving a transportation sector that improves our environment and lessens our dependence on oil and gas,” Granholm said.
Experts say the federal dollars should kickstart more involvement from the private sector to fill in the gaps for EV charging across the U.S. Last year, electric cars were about 5% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. They made up about 0.9% of all vehicles in the nation.
See Georgia's fully approved development plan on the Federal Highway Administration's website.