According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), electric vehicles and hybrids make up about half a percent of all cars and trucks registered to drive in the state, and while the number of electric vehicle (EV) owners is growing, it's still difficult to find EV charging stations in rural areas.
“Right now they’re centered on our corridors … our main interstates and highways … I think we’ve not really been able to cover our rural areas yet,” said Jennifer Weiss, the NCDOT senior adviser for climate change policy.
However, with the help of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that was passed last year, that is set to change.
There’s funding for high-speed, level-three chargers along interstates, and NCDOT mentioned there is also funding to cover other areas of the state that lacks EV charging stations.
The state has 116 level three-fast chargers in public places.
Under the IIJA, North Carolina has submitted a plan that would increase the number of fast-charge locations by 37% and the number of charging ports by 68%.
“We are starting to do outreach to understand where the locations are needed, where the gaps are in the system today and work with the communities to get those in place,” Weiss said.
While the state has submitted plans for new EV charging stations, it could be a while until we see them. NCDOT said supply chain issues could delay them significantly.
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Source: SpectrumNews1
