SEATTLE — $85 million in grants was awarded to projects in Washington state to fund nearly 5,000 new electric vehicle charging stations.
Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington State Department of Commerce Director Mike Fong announced the grants on Thursday.
The grant will specifically fund 4,710 Level 2 EV chargers with 5,362 individual charging plugs and 271 direct current fast chargers with 420 plugs. The new chargers will be installed in communities most at risk of negative health effects caused by pollution, including apartments, workplaces and public locations.
“One of the most important ways we can make electric vehicles an option for more people is by providing more charging stations. More and more Washingtonians are choosing to go electric, to the point we now have the second highest rate of EV adoption in the nation,” said Inslee. “Thanks to the Climate Commitment Act and other climate investments by the Legislature, thousands more people will be able to choose clean electric cars that are healthier for children and for our planet.”
Fong said the grants prioritized projects that add chargers to multifamily housing, public locations such as libraries and recreation centers and workplaces with fleets.
The funds are the first phase of the state Electric Vehicle Charging Program, with additional support from the Climate Commitment Act, signed into law by Inslee in 2021.
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