WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — More electric vehicle charging stations like this one at Sheetz on Maynard Street in Williamsport could be coming to the city. As more electric vehicles hit the road, officials say more businesses and stores need these charging stations.
"Our main role at SEDA-COG is to help find grant funding and support funding for being able to help develop those stations, so we're kind of accustomed to it at working at state and federal funding that can flow down to help people implement these charging stations," said Don Kiel, Senior Program Analyst at SEDA-COG.
SEDA-COG is an economic development organization serving central Pennsylvania. The group wants to bring more E-V charging stations to rural areas.
"As that becomes a little bit more affordable, I think, you'll see people adopting them more, and it's kind of this cycle then when once people do that, then there will be more charging stations available," said Kiel.
Thanks to the Federal Infrastructure Bill, Pennsylvania will get $171.5 million to build stations across the state. Last year, PennDOT gave some of that money to 55 companies to use for charging stations, and they plan on handing out more soon.
"We just closed our second round of funding in January and intend to make some new conditional awards out in the April time frame for about 25 to 30 new proposed locations," said Natasha Fackler, PennDOT Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator.
Fackler says PennDOT wants to make sure these charges are going into smaller communities, as well as the interstates.
"We here in Pennsylvania have a lot of electric vehicle ownership not just in our major cities but also in our rural communities, so building out that infrastructure in places where our people work and live and recreate is something that's very important to us."