The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently announced a new funding program aimed at building out Oklahoma’s light-duty electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Funded by the Volkswagen State Environmental Trust, the ChargeOK Grant Program will offer nearly $3.1 million for the purchase, installation and operation of publicly accessible charging stations throughout Oklahoma. The state desires to build a strategic network of EV charging stations to increase the use of EVs in place of gas-powered cars to mitigate harmful air emissions.
“As more electric vehicles travel our roads, it’s important that the charging infrastructure be in place to support this new technology,” said Mike Patterson, ODOT’s Executive Director and Secretary of Transportation. “ODOT is happy to help with this effort to bring more charging stations to Oklahoma’s highway corridors.”
The DEQ will implement the program into the following two categories of projects:
- Transportation corridors — Direct-current fast-charging (DCFC) projects on designated EV transportation corridors; and
- Single-point locations — DCFC/Level 2 zero-emission vehicle supply equipment (ZEVSE) charging projects for single-destination locations or locations that serve as a community charging hub.
Applications for the program will be accepted through March 1, 2019.