The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced seven more electrical vehicle charging stations funded with federal grant money Thursday, including the first group granted to Pennsylvania Turnpike plazas.
The grants, worth $3.9 million, increase the number of charging stations in the state awarded under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program to 61 and the total funding to $37.1 million. The state has $171.5 million available to spend over five years to install about 150 charging stations under the program, considered a key part of the Biden administration’s stimulus plan because it will create jobs and reduce pollution by encouraging the use of cleaner electric vehicles.
The initial goal is to install charging stations usable by all electric vehicles at least every 50 miles on the nation’s most traveled highways. President Joe Biden wants electric vehicles to make up more than half of new vehicle sales by 2030.
The additional grants also mark the beginning of the turnpike’s efforts to have charging stations installed at each of its 20 service plazas by 2027, said Rick Dreher, the turnpike’s chief financial officer. The turnpike commission on Tuesday approved an agreement with private contractor Applegreen Electric PA LLC, which will own the facilities, pay the 20% matching requirement to the Federal Highway Administration and share a small portion of the revenue with the turnpike.
Overall, the turnpike expects to have at least 80 new stations at its plazas. Dreher said the turnpike doesn’t have an estimate on how much money it might make from the project because it is so new there is no history.
The first five plazas to get charging stations are Oakmont at milepost 49 ($367,749 grant); Hunker, Westmoreland County, milepost 77 ($397,067); West Brandywine, Chester County, mile post 305 ($603,294); Waterfall, Fulton County, milepost 172 ($736,870); Bowmansville, Lancaster County, milepost 290 ($498,805).
The turnpike currently has six locations with 48 Tesla chargers — only usable by those high-end vehicles — and five locations with 10 general chargers operated by Blink.
The other two sites to get grants Thursday were EVgo Services LLC, $543,960 for a station at Penn Place Shopping Plaza in Monroeville, and Francis Energy PA LLC, $747,247 for a station at Kwik Fill in Kylertown, Clearfield County, just off Interstate 80 exit 133.
The grants are for different amounts because each site has different development requirements, and in some cases more property is needed.
The program requires states initially to ensure there are stations about 50 miles apart along “Alternative Fuel Corridors.” In Pennsylvania, those corridors are along all interstate highways and a portion of Route 30 in the central part of the state.
Once those gaps are filled, the state can concentrate on underserved areas and poor neighborhoods as well as areas with heavy traffic.
The state awarded grants to 22 sites last month and expects to award another $20 million in the next couple of months.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.