Earlier this month, the West Virginia Department of Transportation released a plan to construct a network of electric vehicle charging stations across West Virginia.
The plan was developed as a result of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, created as a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The NEVI program made $5 billion available to U.S. states, providing them with funding to create a nationwide, interconnected network of electric vehicle infrastructure.
The West Virginia EV Infrastructure Plan will use $45.7 million in NEVI funding over five years to create the state’s charging network. The charging network will include 912 new public charging ports.
The ports will be placed throughout WV communities for local travel and also along what are called “Alternative Fuel Corridors” (AFCs) for long distance travel. West Virginia’s AFCs include Interstates 64, 68, 70, 77, 79, and 81.
The West Virginia EV Infrastructure Plan will be carried out in two phases.
Phase 1 of the plan will build EV charging stations every 50 miles along the electric AFCs. According to the DOT, phase 1 will take two years to complete.
Phase 2 will be focused on community-based public EV charging. The DOT will take input from community members and stakeholders in different areas across the state to determine the best locations for community charging sites.
According to the WVDOT, phase 1 projects will go out to bid in the winter of 2022/2023, and contracts will be awarded spring 2023.
Community input and planning for phase 2 will begin in spring of 2023.
For more information on the West Virginia Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, log on to www.transportation.wv.gov.
