Pennsylvania's Alternative Fuel Corridors would see increased electric vehicle charging stations for long-distance drivers, including Interstates 78, 80 and 81.Image via PennDOT

Pennsylvania is gearing up to grant millions of dollars in new federal infrastructure money to add electric vehicle charging stations around the state, and officials are urging those interested in applying to start preparing now.

President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $7.5 billion to expand electric vehicle charging across the country, called the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI).

NEVI has two parts. The federal government gives money to Pennsylvania and the other states to distribute (more on that below), and a second pot of discretionary funding will come straight from U.S. Department of Transportation in a nationally competitive program.

Pennsylvania will receive $171.5 million for electric vehicle charging over the next five years under the NEVI program. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is preparing to open up grant applications for the first year of funding, about $24.5 million.

NEVI grants will require the grantee to provide a minimum 20% match. There will be a separate program for heavy vehicles/trucks.

PennDOT plans to announce the application process in late December/early January, but is holding informational meetings now to help businesses, organizations, electric utilities, government agencies and municipalities prepare to hit the ground running.

An online webinar for businesses is planned for Nov. 1. Those interested in attending can find more information here.

A meeting Thursday in South Whitehall Township drew private businesses; representatives from Allentown, Bethlehem and Upper Macungie Township; Lehigh Valley Planning Commission staff; members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; and a group from PPL.

“This is new to PennDOT,” Dan Szekeres, one of the session’s presenters, said of the NEVI program. “We’re learning as we move along.”

Pennsylvania currently has 2,800 chargers in 1,100 locations, but “that is changing by the day,” Szekeres said. The figure does not include Tesla chargers, which are currently not considered public charging locations, he added.

Under the NEVI program, funding must first be used to “build out” designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFC) until the corridors get build-out certification by the Federal Highway Administration.

Corridors around the Lehigh Valley include I-78, I-80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension. PennDOT is specifically looking at charging gaps along these corridors, and a has interactive priority project map here.

Once Pennsylvania meets the build-out criteria, “we can do a lot more other things,” Szekeres said.

PennDOT and other states are still figuring out how to approach the build-out requirement. Do they add more interstates now to the corridors and have to meet federal requirements for all of them, or do they build out the existing corridors and meet the federal criteria, which then allows the state to handle adding routes in the future?

One of the potential AFC additions is Route 222 between Lehigh and Lancaster counties.

After the build-out criteria is reached, PennDOT priorities include expanding charging on non-interstate routes, providing mobile charging or towing for emergency situations, and adding charging at key public destinations.

Public chargers will need to be DC fast charging stations, with at least four ports, and within 1 mile of a highway and 50 miles of the next charging station.

Officials recognize the distance requirement will be an issue; previous guidelines had that charging stations needed to be within 5 miles of an interstate.

Those interested in applying for the grant money should start preparing now, said Mark Kopko, PennDOT’s director of transformational technology.

That includes registering for Keystone Login, the e-grant system PennDOT already uses; selecting a site; assessing the site’s readiness; and coordinating with utilities.

Readiness assessments include knowing power availability and the amount of utility coordination that has been completed.

Kimberly Gauntner with PPL said the electric company is preparing for an influx of requests. PPL serves 29 counties in Pennsylvania, and a lot of the NEVI grant corridors are in PPL coverage areas, she said.

PPL has a website devoted to electric vehicles and information on how applicants can request feasibility studies. The studies include costs and timelines, and can be part of a NEVI application to show coordination with a utility.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.

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