Federal funds are flowing into Minnesota for a plan that would build more electric vehicle charging stations around the state.
Minnesota is working to become the leading state for plug-in electric vehicle (EV) use in the Midwest. MnDOT states that their goal is to have a 20% increase in light-duty EVs in the state by 2030 and make sure they put EV fast charging infrastructure in place to support that expected growth.
MnDOT Sustainability Program Supervisor Siri Simons says they'll spend the next several months finalizing the locations of all the stations.
“This is a transformational opportunity for our transportation sector here in Minnesota,” Simons said. “EV’s provide so many benefits and this new program helped support those benefits.”
The first $14 million of the $68 million that the Federal Government is giving to Minnesota will be spent on chargers along I-94 and I-35.
Those are expected to be installed and ready for use by 2024. The rest of the money, which the state gets it increments over the next five years, we'll be used for more charging stations on other “to be decided” thoroughfares across the state.
The infrastructure plan will focus on light-duty EV charging needs to begin. In 2023, MnDOT will update the plan to address medium and heavy-duty EVs.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program was created to provide funds for states to install fast chargers for electric vehicles (EVs).
“America led the original automotive revolution in the last century, and today, thanks to the historic resources in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re poised to lead in the 21st century with electric vehicles,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg earlier this week. “We have approved plans for all 50 States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to help ensure that Americans in every part of the country – from the largest cities to the most rural communities—can be positioned to unlock the savings and benefits of electric vehicles.”
The transportation sector is the country’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. President Biden has set an ambitious goal for half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 to be zero-emissions vehicles.
The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. The plan to add a robust network of public chargers is expected to encourage drivers to start transitioning to EVs faster