Gov. Mills announces expansion of new high-speed electric vehicle chargers across Maine

Charger will be at Indian Hill Trading Post

AUGUSTA — Gov. Janet Mills recently announced that 17 new high-speed electric vehicle charging stations will open in Maine over the next year as part of the state’s commitment to build an accessible and reliable network of EV chargers for residents and visitors. One such site will be at Indian Hill Trading Post on the Moosehead Lake Road in Greenville.

The new charging sites, which will feature 52 new chargers, have been selected with the goal of expanding the charging network to serve travelers on heavily traveled highways and roads, such as Interstate 95, U.S. Route 2, U.S. Route 302, areas of Portland and Bangor, and supporting outdoor recreation and university communities. The high-speed EV chargers will be installed in the coming year.  

The total investment in the charging infrastructure is nearly $8.6 million. Funding for the charging includes $5.7 million from National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, an initiative of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and $2.8 million through the Governor’s Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, and settlement funds from the New England Clean Energy Connect project.   

Selection of sites were made through the state’s Recharge Maine initiative, a partnership among the Maine Department of Transportation, Efficiency Maine, the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, the Governor’s Energy Office, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. 

 “Drivers across Maine and the nation are increasingly choosing electric vehicles because they are safe, reliable, and better for our environment,” said Mills. “This means that Maine must have a robust charging infrastructure to help ensure that you can get there from here. These investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan will further expand access to high-speed chargers across the state, making long-distance travel more reliable for commuters and visitors alike.” 

Of the 17 new locations, the nine sites funded through the Federal NEVI program (in Bangor, Bridgton, Hermon, Newport, Portland, Rumford, and Windham) will offer at least four chargers, per requirement of the program. The other eight sites will have two chargers at each location, bringing the total of new chargers to 52. 

“Since opening its first NEVI funded station in April, Maine has been accelerating progress on EV charging, giving more people the choice to ride or drive electric,” said Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. “By using different funding sources to support EV charging infrastructure, Maine demonstrates creativity and flexibility in continuing to build out the national charging network.”

“This expansion of high-speed charging infrastructure will help reduce range anxiety for current and future Maine EV drivers and will help communities attract commerce and tourism,” said Joyce Taylor, chief engineer at the Maine Department of Transportation. “MaineDOT, through Recharge Maine, will continue to work to expand this network to ensure that Maine has an accessible, available, and reliable charging network across the state.” 

“By extending the high-speed charger network to more rural areas of our state, we are making EVs a viable option for the vast majority of long-distance trips people take in Maine,” said Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine. “I’m looking forward to seeing these built in the next 12 months so Mainers in rural areas can give more serious consideration to buying an EV as their next vehicle.”   

“Expanding EV charging helps Maine serve the needs of consumers, communities, and businesses, while helping significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and co-chair of the Maine Climate Council. “As a partner in Recharge Maine, we’re proud that Maine is on the leading edge of EV charging and making EV travel across our state more reliable, accessible, and convenient.” 

“Maine is leading the country in deployment of clean energy technology, including EV charging, that stabilizes energy costs for Maine people and business,” said Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office. “These projects are making Maine EV ready for our residents and encouraging more EV drivers to visit and recreate across our beautiful state.” 

“Maine’s critical tourism economy must be accessible to all travelers and today’s announcement will support Maine businesses and regions to open their doors to electric vehicle customers,” said Patrick C. Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “Maine has provided generations of vacationers a relaxing respite from life’s tribulations and these charging stations will provide reliable and convenient service to a new generation of visitors to our beautiful state.”  

“We are very excited about the prospect of hosting multiple Level-3 Direct Current Fast Chargers at UMaine. It is imperative that we support the EV technology transition as aggressively as possible,” said Dan Dixon, director, Office of Sustainability at University of Maine. “These chargers will help usher in the next era of modern zero-emission transportation and provide a valuable service to all in the surrounding community, including university students, employees, and visitors for sports events, performances, lectures, and conferences.” 

The availability of public electric vehicle charging stations has more than doubled in Maine since 2019. In January, the State received a $15-million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the further installation of 62 Level 3 fast charging ports and 520 Level 2 charger ports at more than 70 sites in 63 Maine cities and towns — adding to the more than 1,000 public EV charging ports now available in Maine.  

In April, some of the nation’s first public EV-charging stations funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opened along U.S. Route 1 in Rockland.

Maine was the fifth state to open NEVI-funded chargers and the first to have an operational NEVI-funded charging location open in conjunction with EV manufacturer Tesla. 

Currently, a total of 830 Level 2 community ports at 409 locations and 241 DCFC high-speed charging ports at 88 locations are publicly available in Maine.

Developers can learn about past and future funding opportunities for EV chargers in Maine, and drivers can find all EV charging locations on the Efficiency Maine website.   

Over the next several years, Maine will receive an additional $12 million from the NEVI Formula program and $15 million from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program. With these funds, the Recharge Maine initiative intends to establish DC fast charging every 50 miles or less along Maine’s major corridors, in urban areas, and in rural service centers. These charges will be required to be physically accessible to the public any time of day and year-round and must also remain in proper working condition more than 97 percent of the time. 

For more about the state’s commitment to expand EV charging in Maine, and an updated dashboard of EVs in Maine, please visit the Recharge Maine website at maine.gov/rechargemaine.