EV charging stations to expand
The Shapiro administration is committing $25 million to the statewide effort.
Communities across Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties could see new electric vehicle charging stations as the Shapiro administration announced last week that $25 million is available to expand public charging infrastructure throughout Western Pennsylvania.
The funding is part of the Community Charging phase of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, or NEVI, program, which uses federal dollars to support the construction of publicly accessible charging stations.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced the funding during an event in Cranberry Township, noting that the Western Pennsylvania region is the second area of the state to open applications for community-based charging projects.
The Western region includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Under the program, local transportation planning agencies will identify priority areas for investment, but all publicly accessible locations within the region are eligible to apply.
“The most critical element when considering an EV is knowing where you can charge it,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “Under Gov. Shapiro’s leadership, we’re directing investments to new chargers in communities that need them and improving EV accessibility for everyone.”
PennDOT officials said the state has already committed nearly $62 million through the NEVI program to support public charging stations statewide.
Pennsylvania currently leads the nation in the number of NEVI-funded charging stations that have opened, according to PennDOT, with 37 stations operating and another 55 in various stages of planning and construction.
The latest funding round is part of a broader effort by the Shapiro administration to direct $100 million in federal funding toward community charging stations across Pennsylvania.
Organizations interested in pursuing projects can connect with charging station developers and operators through a state survey available at pa.gov/evcommunity.
Rich Fitzgerald, executive director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, said expanding charging infrastructure could also benefit local communities economically.
“As we bring more EV infrastructure to commercial districts and community facilities across our region, we will also bring an increasing number of EV owners to our communities,” Fitzgerald said. “SPC is grateful to PennDOT and the federal government for allowing us to partner on this latest round of funding.”
Since Pennsylvania’s first NEVI-funded station opened in December 2023, the charging network has supported more than 106,000 charging sessions, according to PennDOT. State officials estimate those charging sessions have powered more than 12.7 million miles of travel while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2,700 metric tons.
PennDOT recently launched an educational video series called “EVs In Focus” that addresses topics including battery safety, impacts on the electric grid, environmental considerations, winter weather performance and charging costs.
Additional community charging funding rounds are expected to open for eastern and central Pennsylvania later this year.
