Washington state announced $85 million in grants Thursday to fund thousands of new electric vehicle charging stations across the state and boost the availability of the infrastructure among communities most in need.
Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington State Department of Commerce Director Mike Fong said the money would go to nonprofits, electric utilities, tribes and public agencies, and that half of the grants would target charger installation in communities most at risk of negative health effects caused by fossil fuel pollution.
The investment is through the Washington State Electric Vehicle Charging Program, with additional support from the Climate Commitment Act.
The awards will result in the installation of 4,710 Level 2 EV chargers with 5,362 individual charging plugs, and 271 direct current fast chargers with 420 plugs.
The installations (view map) will occur at locations including:
- 213 multifamily properties, including apartment buildings
- 211 fleets and workplaces, primarily local government agencies and school districts
- 141 public locations, such as recreation centers, libraries and grocery stores
Funding was allocated to applicants based on a competitive scoring system that prioritized installations in areas with high levels of pollution and few existing chargers, among other criteria.
Washington state has been a leader in the U.S. in EV adoption, showing steady growth over time. The state ranks fourth in EV purchases behind California, Florida and Texas, according to Recurrent, a Seattle startup supporting used EV sales.
A recent survey of U.S. consumers found that half are open to buying an electric vehicle or electric hybrid, but price is still a factor.
