LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky on Thursday revealed the initial 16 sites where federally funded electric vehicle fast chargers will be installed along interstates and highways in the state.
Private companies such as Love’s Travel Stop and bp pulse will build the high-capacity charging stations with federal subsidies averaging about $680,000 per station, according to a news release from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office.
"Today, we are taking a major step forward on our mission to have a statewide electric vehicle charging network," Beshear said in a news release.
The fast charger locations announced Thursday are only the first wave of an eventual 37 sites across the state, Beshear’s office said in the release.
While Kentucky will play a big role in the manufacture of electric vehicles — Ford is planning its largest battery site in Glendale and Toyota plans its first U.S.-made EV at its plant in Georgetown — the Bluegrass State has among the smallest share of EVs, at .2% of registered vehicles as of 2022, according to federal data.
EVs are 2.5% of vehicles in California, the state with the highest rate of EV adoption.
Publicly accessible charging stations along travel routes are seen as a necessary component to increase EV adoption.
Kentucky’s publicly funded fast chargers must be open 24/7 and power "any non-proprietary EV model," the state said. Each charging station must have at least four plugs.
