LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A plan to invest $100 million over five years into electric vehicle charging stations in Indiana was approved by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.
According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, the plan will involve building at least 44 charging stations statewide. This will guarantee every Hoosier will be within 40 miles of a charging station, INDOT said.
The installation of the charging stations is being funded by the National Electric Vehicle infrastructure (NEVI) program, which was created after the passage of President Joe Biden's 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
All 50 states received final approval to begin construction on a first nationwide network, part of the Biden administration’s plan to spur widespread adoption of zero-emission cars.
"A robust network of convenient, reliable charging infrastructure is essential to addressing range anxiety for electric vehicle owners," INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith said in a news release. "Through the NEVI program, Indiana will work with private and public partners to make strategic investments in charging infrastructure along our highways to support the growing number of EV’s traveling throughout our state."
This comes almost a year to the day after Gov. Eric Holcomb joined four other governors to sign the Regional Electric Vehicle for the Midwest Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement's purpose was to set up an electric vehicle charging network across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, collectively accelerating vehicle electrification in the Midwest Region.Â
By 2030, an estimated 105,000 new jobs in the utility sector are anticipated to be needed to deploy the EV charging infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Transportation approved plans for the last set of 17 states that will install or upgrade fast chargers along 75,000 miles of highway, coast to coast.
Installation of the charging stations is expected to begin in 2024.
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