FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky could see over $10 million in federal grant funding to deploy and expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday announced that the state can receive as much as $10,280,470 from the U.S. Department of Transportation. That money is part of $5 billion states will receive over the next five years under the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.

States can develop charging station networks along designated "Alternative Fuel Corridors," but the DOT said particular focus should be along the interstate highway system.

“We know that electric vehicles are the way of the future, and Kentucky is going to be at the center of that transition,” Beshear said. “Kentuckians are going to be making the batteries for these cars, and this will ensure we have the infrastructure in place that will allow Kentuckians to drive and enjoy them.”

Projects eligible for funding under NEVI include:

• The acquisition and installation of EV charging infrastructure to serve as a catalyst for the deployment of such infrastructure and to connect it to a network to facilitate data collection, access and reliability;
• Proper operation and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure; and
• Data sharing about EV charging infrastructure to ensure the long-term success of investments.

States have to submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan before they can access the funds.

A second competitive grant program designed to further increase EV charging access in locations throughout the country, including in rural and underserved communities, will launch later this year. The Federal Highway Administration will issue guidance on how states can apply for the funding in coming months.

DOT has also released an EV Rural Charging Toolkit, which is a one-stop resource for rural communities to plan and implement EV charging infrastructure projects.

Kentucky is at the red-hot center of the future of EVs. Last September, the single largest economic development project in state history was announced, with Ford Motor Co. and its partner SK Innovation investing nearly $6 billion and creating 5,000 to build the BlueOvalSK battery park in Hardin County.

Not long after that, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, which has been building cars for 30 years at its massive plant in Scott County, made its own major EV announcement. Toyota is investing $461 million to prepare the Georgetown plant for EVs and is welcoming about 1,400 temporary workers to permanent, full-time positions.

“These projects are so large that they create their own gravity,” Gov. Beshear said. “Companies are looking to come to Kentucky to be part of this EV revolution, to help us build out the EV supply chain.”