Feds Award State $12.1M for EV Charging Expansion

Maryland received $12.1 million in federal funding to expand electric vehicle charging statewide. 

Earlier this month, Governor Wes Moore announced $12.1 million in federal funding as part of the first round of conditional awards to expand electric vehicle charging sites under the  National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. The program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will accelerate the deployment of publicly accessible EV chargers and build a reliable and convenient charging network, creating 130 fast-charging ports at 23 sites in 15 counties across the state.

The Maryland Department of Transportation is partnering with ElectraStop, Francis Energy, Gridwealth EV, Koulomb, Pilot Travel Centers, Tesla and Wawa in deploying the EV chargers, subject to final agreement with the Maryland Department of Transportation. Sites include travel centers, shopping malls, gas stations and convenience stores located along federally-designated Alternative Fuel Corridors​, which support EV charging and hydrogen, propane and natural gas fueling infrastructure.
Award recipients will receive program funding for up to 80 percent of the cost of the new EV infrastructure. Recipients are also required to operate and maintain direct current fast (DC) chargers, ensuring they are operational 97% of the time for at least five years and will provide $5.6 million in private match. Participants have one year to build the new EV charging port, with sites opening by Fall 2025.
The conditional awards represent a critical step in Maryland’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure plan implementation of 41 total EV fast charging sites, necessary to meet the federal build-out of the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors. When the new fast charging sites are open, Maryland will meet more than 50% of the federal build-out requirements for the corridors.
Consistent with program requirements, sites are designed to ensure that there is charging infrastructure at least every 50 miles on these Alternative Fuel Corridors. This fall, the Maryland Department of Transportation intends to issue a request for proposals for a second round of funding focused on building the remaining 18 sites.
With nearly 110,000 registrations as of June 30, the state has seen growth of more than 65 percent since January 2023. Electric vehicles are registered in all 23 counties and Baltimore City.

At the 2024 MACo Summer Conference general session, “The Road Ahead: Electrifying Maryland’s Future” panel gets into the weeds on what the next few years may look like and major milestones in this transition.

The 2024 MACo Summer Conference will be held at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, MD, from August 14-17. This year’s theme is “Turning the Tide.” More information can be found on our conference website.