BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Starting next year, local governments in Kentucky can start applying for federal grants to build and maintain electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. 

What You Need To Know

  •  $2.5 billion in federal grant money will be available to build more electric vehicle charging stations across the country

  •  Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., wants to bring as much of that money and projects to Kentucky

  •  There are currently 24 EV charging stations coming to the state

The federal government has $2.5 billion ready to give to states to build and maintain EV charging stations.

Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky, said, “We want as much of it here in the commonwealth.”

The federal funding is available through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant program. It pays for cities nationwide to build and maintain EV stations .

Beshear said, “I want to encourage agencies and eligible partners to start preparing now. We want to make sure we have more applications than the rest.”

Local governments can start applying in the spring. Projects will be prioritized in rural areas and low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. 

At last check, 24 new fast charging stations are coming to the commonwealth. Private developers plan to build several sites across the state, partially paid for with money from the bipartisan infrastructure act. 

The state has also identified “build-out gaps” where the charging stations will be needed.

Beshear said, “We have to have one every so many miles on our interstate and our parkways and we have such a great system of those roads in Kentucky that it covers a lot.”

Mike Proctor, the publicity chair for Evolve KY, an organization which advocates the use of electric vehicles, stressed the importance of filling up those gaps with fast electric vehicle chargers, citing its essential for tourism and traveling across the state.

Proctor said, “These fast ones are the key to tourism and people stopping in to visit. I can’t get down to Lexington. I can’t get down to Pikeville and back in one charge. So, I need a charger somewhere along the way in order to get down and back. And I surely don’t want to waste four or five hours to get back home. So, we need these fast chargers in order to essentially allow EV drives access to Eastern Kentucky.”

Two new electric charging stations will soon open along Interstate 75. Earlier this month, General Motors, along with Pilot, shared plans to build stations in Georgetown and Williamsburg. Those could be up and running by the end of the year. 

The announcements come as the Ford Motor Company hires at the Blue Oval SK Plant that will build electric vehicle batteries in Hardin County.

Officials say the battery park construction is on schedule and production will start in 2025. 

Construction is underway on an electric vehicle battery gigafactory in Bowling Green’s Kentucky Transpark.

Envision AESC’s operation is expected to power up to 300,000 vehicles annually by 2027.

Related Stories