Moreover, all the funds will go to nonprofits, electric utilities, tribes and public agencies, the Washington State Department of Commerce announced. Locations were chosen based on a scoring system. An interactive map helped applicants grasp where EV chargers would be most beneficial to fight pollution and help EV uptake. Projects also received additional points when they committed to partnering with electrical worker apprenticeship programs to install the new charging stations.
4,710 Level 2 EV chargers (5,362 charge points) and 271 DC fast chargers (420 charge points) will be installed. Commerce Director Mike Fong and Governor Jay Inslee also named the first recipients. One project to receive funding was the Women of Wisdom (WOW) Tri-Cities. It operated an electric car sharing scheme to provide transportation in low mobility areas.
Among the awards are 213 multifamily properties (including apartment buildings), 211 fleets and workplaces (such as local government agencies and school districts) and 141 public locations, such as recreation centres, libraries and grocery stores.
“We are committed to ensuring that the benefits from decarbonizing Washington’s economy are experienced broadly, “said Commerce Director Mike Fong. “These significant investments in new EV charging infrastructure will also support good jobs for electricians and technicians throughout the state.”
“One of the most important ways we can make electric vehicles an option for more people is by providing more charging stations. More and more Washingtonians are choosing to go electric, to the point we now have the second highest rate of EV adoption in the nation,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “Thanks to the Climate Commitment Act and other climate investments by the Legislature, thousands more people will be able to choose clean electric cars that are healthier for children and for our planet.”
