TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Electric Vehicles (EV) are on the rise and with the growing market, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) wants to make sure Arizonans receive the most from new federal funding sources.
Installing EV fast chargers along Arizona’s currently designated alternative fuel corridors will be the first step in the plan ADOT said.
Funding plays a huge role and over the next five years, the state is set to receive $76.5 million in federal dollars through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. ADOT Spokesman Doug Nick said the stations would be in rest stops, shopping centers and other places near the the interstates, including I-10 and I-19.
"Clearly electric vehicles are the way that people are looking at alternative ways to fuel their vehicles," he said. "But we aren’t in a position to try to manipulate the marketplace because we just want to be able to react to the market place, and we have an opportunity with the federal legislation coming in."
ADOT said they have hired AECOMConsultants to help roll out the plan. They also plan on reaching out to the public and key stakeholders for comments and suggestions.
There's over 200 electric car charging stations in Tucson and 29 of them are free to use. Joseph Barrios with Tucson Electric Power said they look forward to looking into this project as the plan develops over the next month.
"We've seen an increase interest from our customers in electric vehicles, and we are really working hard to offer tools and information," he said. "Fuel costs are about a third for an electric vehicle than what they are for a traditional gas vehicle and that really depends on the size of the vehicle, the manufacturer, etc."
ADOT is looking for input from the public about this project. You can leave your feedback here. The project's plan is stet to be submitted in August, Nick said.
ADOT laying groundwork to develop statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations.
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) June 3, 2022
More than $76 million in federal dollars on the way to state.
More: https://t.co/bYdirQMSFH pic.twitter.com/Gvjrqlsy13
Related: Rep. Grijalva Announces $11.3 million in EV funding heading to Arizona Highways
Related: Senator Steele's EV bill passes in senate
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Corey Salmon is a real-time editor and associate producer for KGUN 9. He was born in New York but has lived in Tucson for over 10 years. Share your story ideas and important issues with Corey by emailing corey.salmon@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
