Pennsylvania will receive more than $33.8 million for electric vehicle charging stations officials said Monday.
In a joint announcement, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Federal Highway Administration Deputy Administrator Andrew Rogers, and representatives from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) said the state had received the first round of its National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) investment funding 54 projects in 35 counties across the state. The funding, officials said, is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which will provide the states with more than $171.5 million over the next five years to build an EV charging network.
“Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we can strengthen and expand our electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” Casey said. “This funding will allow us to deploy electric vehicle charging stations across our Commonwealth, from cities to suburbs to rural areas, promoting energy security, creating jobs, and reducing our carbon footprint.”
The awards will include site locations across the state, and fund four federally compliant charging ports at each charging location, for a total of 216 total charging ports. Of the 54 project, 22 are in or within a mile of state or federally designated disadvantaged communities, the state said. The projects will now start National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) public involvement, and will begin after those processes are successfully completed and agreements with each recipient are executed. Some project, officials said, may begin as early as late 2023.
Projects include three in Allegheny County – $684,088 for Sheetz, Inc., for a charging station in Sewickey; $231,786 for Tesla, for a charging station at the GetGo in Monroeville; and $384,880 for Universal EV LLC for a charging station at the Comfort Suite in Coraopolis. In Centre County, TA Operating LLC will receive $1.1 million for a charting station at the TravelCenters of America in Milesburg. And in Lawrence County, Tesla, Inc. will receive $220,898 for a charging station at the Sheetz in New Castle.
Officials said this initial round of funding was focused on building out the EV charging network along interstates to meet NEVI requirements and that additional phases will shift to Right-sizing EV charging stations to meet community needs. These funds, officials said, will support the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of charging site, with the applicants providing a minimum 20 percent match. PennDOT received more than 270 unique funding submissions requesting more than $165 million in funding.