State transportation officials say they'd like to hear your views—and soon—on how and where to locate electric vehicle charging stations across Wisconsin.
Wisconsin DOT has released a draft of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan with the aim of meeting the needs of what's expected to be a fast-growth in the use of electric vehicles over the coming decade.
Wisconsin DOT Secretary Craig Thompson says there's a lot of federal money available to states with an acceptable electrical vehicle proposal.
"There is through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. We're eligible to receive more than $78 M over the next five years. But that requires that we submit a plan by Aug. 1 to the federal government [and] that is approved," Thompson says.
Thompson says the state's draft proposal includes designating routes that are called "alternative fuel corridors." In those corridors, "That you can demonstrate you'd have electric vehicle charging stations not more than every fifty miles along those corridors. And not more than one mile off the route. We have designated corridors across the entire state," Thompson says.
The DOT Secretary also says, "Equity is a huge part of the plan that we're submitting to the federal government. That is both in our underserved areas, in our urban areas, as well as in our rural areas," he says."We are working very closely with different populations and different groups throughout Wisconsin to make sure we're addressing underserved populations, as well."
Wisconsin DOT is accepting public comments on the draft plan just through this coming Sunday, July 24. The DOT website says:
"The feedback form provides you with an electronic opportunity to propose an electric vehicle charging station location on an interstate."
If you would like to email your comments, please direct them to:
transportationelectrification@dot.wi.gov
