KENTUCKY, USA — Governor Andy Beshear announced Thursday that Kentucky can receive as much as $10.2 Million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to create an electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The money is part of $5 billion available to states over the next five years under the new federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
“We know that electric vehicles are the way of the future, and Kentucky is going to be at the center of that transition,” said Gov. Beshear. “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 and connect it to a network to facilitate data collection, access and reliability
- Proper operation and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure
- Data sharing about EV charging infrastructure to ensure its long-term success
Before they can access these funds, states must submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan. A second, competitive grant program designed to further increase EV charging access in locations throughout the country, including in rural and underserved communities, will be announced later this year.
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 in their communities.
Kentucky is at the red-hot center of the EV revolution. Last September, the single largest economic development project in state history was announced, with Ford and its partner SK Innovation investing nearly $6 billion and creating 5,000 jobs to build the BlueOvalSK battery park in Hardin County.
When the park’s two plants are fully operational, Governor Beshear says it will be the nation’s largest producer of EV batteries.
Not long after that, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, which has a massive plant in Scott County, made its own major EV announcement. They are 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,” 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.”
Last month, Beshear said his budget proposal includes $100 million to begin building up the state's electric vehicle charging station infrastructure. It uses $30.5 million from the General Fund, of which $17 million will meet the state match to unlock nearly $70 million in federal funding from the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
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