Monday, November 25, 2024

Houston awarded $15 million in federal grant money for EV charging infrastructure | Houston Public Media

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The Biden-Harris Administration announced Tuesday that the City of Houston will be awarded $15 million to install over 300 new EV charging stations in lower to moderate-income neighborhoods, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The $15 million will come from a total of over $500 million in grants that have been awarded to cities across 29 different states. The grants were made possible as part of the $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI), both of which were created under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act).

According to the DOT, a total of $16.6 million will be awarded to Texas. Houston will be receiving the majority of the funds while a development authority in San Antonio will be given the remaining $1.6 million.

The funding in Houston has been dedicated to providing accessible EV charging stations at public libraries, community centers and parks within the city. An estimated 81 locations and 366 chargers are expected to be installed, according to the DOT’s project description.

The long-term goal of the project is to promote rideshare EVs in neighborhoods where car ownership is low to provide access to key destinations. In the announcement, the DOT said these areas have been targeted since private-sector companies would be unlikely to invest in them without federal funding.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement that the grants will not only provide greater access to public EV charging but also help reduce overall emissions.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to ensure that America leads the EV revolution,” he said. “The awards that we’re announcing today will build on this important work and help ensure that the cost-saving, health and climate benefits, and jobs of the EV future are secured for Americans across the country.”

According to Reliant Energy, there are currently over 800 charging stations in the Houston area, with more than 50 of those being available for free. Most of the stations are provided by Supercharger, ChargePoint, Blink and Tesla Destination, although several other companies also operate in the area.

Since 2021, the number of publicly available EV chargers nationwide has doubled to an estimated 192,000 with an additional 1,000 being added each week, according to the DOT.

Although no timeline for the project was given in either the announcement or the description specific to the City of Houston’s grant, the NEVI’s website states that the goal is to have 500,000 chargers nationwide by 2030.

The City of Houston Resilience & Sustainability Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the grant.

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