The state Department of Transportation opened an online public information center on Wednesday to provide residents and businesses an opportunity to review and comment on plans to install high-speed electric vehicle chargers on interstate highways in New Jersey.
Under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, federal funding is available to cover 80% of eligible project costs. The bipartisan federal infrastructure law provides $5 billion over the next five years for states to use to deploy a network of EV public chargers. New Jersey’s share is $104 million over five years.
New Jersey has designated 18 interstate highways as Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) to be equipped with EV fast chargers located no more than 50 miles apart, and within 1 mile of an exit. These Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFC) would take 20 to 30 minutes to recharge an EV battery to 80%. By comparison, an AC Level 1 charger that uses 120 volts (regular household current) requires 12 hours of overnight charging to provide an EV range of 35 to 50 miles.
The virtual information center will remain open through Oct. 25 for the public to learn more about the plan and leave comments. The NJDOT intends to advertise for bids to develop the charging stations on the designated highways this fall and make project awards in 2024 so that construction can begin in 2025.
Go here to access the public information center.
