A Hyundai Kona Electric vehicle charges in State College on Feb 12, 2022.
Rachel McDevitt / StateImpact Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania gives millions to boost EV adoption
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Rachel McDevitt
Rachel McDevitt / StateImpact Pennsylvania
A Hyundai Kona Electric vehicle charges in State College on Feb 12, 2022.
Pennsylvania is aiming to give a boost to electric vehicles with a wave of new funding.
The Wolf Administration is putting $3.4 million toward building electric vehicle charging stations across the state.
The money, awarded through the Driving PA Forward program, comes from a 2018 settlement related to the Volkswagen emissions scandal.
Grants will be used to install 54 fast chargers in 12 counties, including rural ones such as Venango, Greene, and Susquehanna counties.
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Fast chargers can raise an EV’s battery to 80 percent full in 20 to 60 minutes. More common chargers, known as Level 2, can take hours to achieve a full charge.
The projects, which will be built mainly in travel plazas along high-traffic areas, will help create electric vehicle corridors across the state, meaning charging stations will be available every 50 miles.
EV charging is only one slice of how the state is using Volkswagen settlement funds.
In 2019, the group PennEnvironment gave Pennsylvania’s plans for the money an F grade, because it lets the money be used to buy more efficient, fossil-fuel powered vehicles.
Pennsylvania got $118 million from the settlement. With this most recent round of grants, it has so far used about $6 million for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
Along with the infrastructure announcement, the state is also freeing up $2 million to help people afford electric vehicles.
The Wolf Administration said the additional money for the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate program aims to get about 1,000 more electric vehicles on the road.
It said getting more zero-emission cars out there will help improve local air quality and help slow climate change.
Rebate amounts for battery-electric vehicles are rising, from $750 dollars to $2,000 per EV. Depending on income, some families could get a $3,000 rebate.
Only people and families earning under 400 percent above the federal poverty level per household are eligible for the rebates. For example, a single person making up to $54,360 or a family of four with an income of $111,000 qualifies. A family of four making $55,500 or less qualifies for the $3,000 rebate.
New and used vehicles qualify for the rebates. Vehicles must be under $50,000 and be purchased from a registered dealer.
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