The head of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office is hopeful new federal funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure will give residents more confidence to buy EVs in the years to come.
Milwaukee is getting just under $15 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration to install EV charging stations at 53 sites across the city, the agency announced this week.
In an interview yesterday, ECO Director Erick Shambarger said the city is “behind when it comes to electric vehicle charging” but the new dollars coming in will help build out a network of publicly accessible chargers. Under the city’s plans for the project, each site would have at least four charging ports, adding hundreds of additional options for EV owners.
The greater Milwaukee region, including Waukesha and West Allis, currently has 495 charging stations, according to online EV resource PlugShare.
Shambarger emphasized the environmental benefits of these vehicles, noting they’re better than traditional gas vehicles for local air quality and the climate overall.
“We’re really excited about that, and we hope that it’ll really move Milwaukee forward,” he said, adding electrifying transportation is among the 10 key elements of the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan. “It’s just exciting to see the major pieces of that plan becoming real with this federal funding that’s now available.”
The funding amounts were announced this week — including $13.2 million for Dane County, the only other Wisconsin recipient. Shambarger notes city officials haven’t received the official award letter yet, and the timeline for implementation remains somewhat unclear.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of administration that has to happen, plus we are intending to probably have a process to refine the locations and a process to hire a private company to help install, build, manage and operate the stations,” he told WisBusiness.com. “I don’t imagine people will start seeing stations being built with this funding until probably 2026. I hope it’s sooner.”
Along with selecting a partner company for the installation process, he noted the city will need to hammer out agreements with all of the locations where the chargers will be located.
Shambarger said ECO had envisioned a public-private partnership with a firm that’s large enough to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the EV charging stations, with subcontractors brought in for the actual installations. He expects some of the stations will be located on public sites, such as public libraries or other places where residents gather.
“I’m sure there’s enough money here to, you know, be spread out into the community,” he said.
He also noted the project includes a workforce plan, so any partner will need to work with the city to ensure training programs are in place for the workers who are involved. And at least 40% of the charging sites will be built in disadvantaged areas, he said, noting the project’s “strong equity component.”
Still, he noted there’s more work to be done on selecting the exact locations for the charging sites, adding “it was admittedly a little bit of a rushed process” to choose the sites identified in the initial application. The city last year wasn’t chosen for funding in the first round of applications, he said, but was later invited to reapply using that same application.
“I think we’re going to need to revisit the locations too, and probably have a little bit more of a public input process and plus a little additional planning work to go into that,” he said.
He noted any private developer brought on for the project will also need to kick in matching funds for the federal dollars, and fees paid by the charging station users will help that company recoup its investment.
Meanwhile, Dane County will be using its own funding to install 92 public EV charging stations with a total of 368 ports, with a focus on “high-density urban and suburban areas as well as rural areas.” The county aims to eliminate gaps in charging availability, according to the funding announcement. The Madison area currently has 407 EV charging stations, according to PlugShare.
In a statement on the funding, Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn says the award is “great news” as it will help expand access to electric vehicles in the region.
“Expanding the EV charging infrastructure will help Dane County continue to lead the way on sustainability measures that help combat climate change,” Kuhn said.
See the full list of awards.
