RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – North Carolina is one step closer to improving electric vehicle infrastructure.
Businesses can now apply to operate EV chargers as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. It is a federally funded program.
North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Supervisor for Statewide Initiatives Heather Hildebrandt said the first 11 areas for charging stations were picked because they are the areas where the largest coverage gaps are. They will be scattered throughout the state, as seen in this map.
“The purpose of the what we’re calling phase one of the NEVI program is to build up those alternative fuel corridors, which really is focusing in on that intra and interstate travel,” Hildebrandt said.
Hildebrandt said the program’s goal is to have a charger at least every 50 miles, and within one mile of the blue lines on this map.
The state plans to have close to 39 chargers along the alternative fuel corridors.
Julissa Torres has had her electric vehicle for about a year.
“It’s going great, I love it,” Torres said. “It’s just that the charging is not so great sometimes, it depends where you go.”
If she’s going far, she still usually relies on her gas car.
Hildebrandt said each of the locations under the program will charge a minimum of four cars at a time, in roughly about 20 minutes.
Phase two of the program will focus more on DC chargers in areas not near the corridors.
“If we really want to move towards cleaner transportation, electrification of transportation, we need to make sure that that technology is accessible to everybody,” Hildebrandt said.
Gilat Melamed
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