WKAR: Lansing receives federal grant for EV chargers

Arjun Thakkar, WKAR Public Media

Lansing and some of its neighboring communities are receiving federal assistance to expand electric vehicle charging networks in mid-Michigan.

The $8 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program will support the installation of up to 50 new public electric vehicle charging stations.

Shailen Bhatt, the Federal Highway Administrator, joined local officials at the Lansing Board of Water and Light on Friday to make the announcement. He said the funding will support automotive workers across the capital region and support new EV charging manufacturers in the country.

"That's what all of this investment is about," Bhatt said. "Making sure that American workers are the ones who are benefiting.”

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden's administration is spending more than $623 million to construct EV chargers across the country. Bhatt said the investment in Greater Lansing contributes to Biden's goal of having 500,000 publicly available EV chargers in the U.S. by 2030.

“You can't build the EV charging network after everybody already has an EV," Bhatt said. "They have to go at pace. And so we think that we're matching the EV charger investment with the demand for EVs for the American people.”

Officials say the expanded network will fill gaps and increase access to charging facilities beyond mid-Michigan’s city centers. Many of the chargers will be installed in Lansing, but new stations will also be added in neighboring municipalities.

The Lansing-based chargers are set to be installed in a range of locations, including parking facilities, public schools and parks. Local leaders say the region stands to gain from investments in electric vehicles.

"We see ourselves as is kind of the full package. We are going to be doing all three parts of it: create the batteries, create the cars and have the infrastructure to charge," said Lansing Mayor Andy Schor.

Officials did not share a specific timeline for installing the chargers. Schor said grant funds will be used to engage with stakeholders and develop a plan for installing the chargers.

Studies have indicated drivers moving away from combustion vehicles and adopting electric vehicles could cause a decrease in gas tax revenues, which are used to fund road construction and maintenance.

“We do need to figure out how we pay for road infrastructure," Bhatt acknowledged. "But just because we currently pay for road infrastructure using gas tax doesn't mean that we can't find alternative fuels that have way more benefits.”

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