State Wants Comments on EV Charging Plans – CCN

State transportation officials want the public’s feedback on deploying the second phase of electric vehicle charging stations in North Carolina.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will host a webinar from 3-4:30 p.m. June 26. Those interested are asked to register for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program Community Engagement webinar.

“We encourage participation in our program from anyone with an interest in transportation,” said Heather Hildebrandt, NCDOT’s Statewide Initiatives supervisor. “Public input is an important part of our efforts to build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure in a manner that serves everyone from the mountains to the coast.”

The upcoming webinar will cover NEVI requirements and the benefits of having EV chargers in communities. People can give their opinions on the program, including how NCDOT should engage with communities. NCDOT earlier this week sent an email announcing the webinar to a list of people who have declared their interest in clean transportation and the NEVI program.

People who register for the webinar will receive a confirmation email. NCDOT plans to post a recording of the webinar to the agency’s YouTube channel by July 3. Everyone who registers will receive an email with where to view the recording once it is available. NCDOT plans to host more virtual and in-person meetings on the NEVI program.

The NEVI program aims to create additional charging infrastructure as more people convert from gas- to electric-powered vehicles. The NEVI program, which was established by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides nearly $5 billion to help states create a network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations. That’s an important step towards making electric vehicle charging accessible to all Americans.

North Carolina received $109 million in NEVI funds to develop a statewide network of charging stations along interstates, major highways and in communities. The buildout of EV charging infrastructure will occur in two phases over the next seven years.

Phase 1 involves the installation of DC fast chargers capable of charging a vehicle in about 20 minutes, positioned along interstates and major highways. The Phase 1 buildout should start in 2025. Over the past three months, NCDOT collected more than 30 bids from businesses applying for NEVI funds to build out EV chargers as part of the first phase of development. The bidding period closed Monday. After an extensive evaluation of the bids, NCDOT staff expect to select the winning bids for Phase 1 by September, Hildebrandt said.

Phase 2 will focus on the buildout of community-based DC fast chargers and Level 2 chargers that take between four hours and eight hours to charge a vehicle. A major goal of Phase 2 is to increase public access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure, particularly in historically disadvantaged communities. Construction will not start until the first phase is complete. However, early engagement for the planning stages of this phase is critical.

To learn more, visit NCDOT’s NEVI web page.

Currently, there are EV charging stations in Tabor City, Chadbourn, at Southeastern community college and Pierce and Co. in Hallsboro.