This Midwest Town Gets President Biden’s First Federally Funded EV Charger

• Nearly two years after $7.5 billion in federal funding was authorized for developing EV chargers, the first of many has arrived.

• Built near Columbus, Ohio, the CCS plug-equipped charger makes up just one of President Biden's claimed 500,000 charger goals.

• Additional federally funded chargers are in the works in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Maine, according to the White House.

If keeping an electric vehicle charger running reliably in the first place seems hard enough, imagine installing over 300,000 chargers in the coming years. It may sound nearly impossible to many stakeholders, including city governments and small-town EV owners, but President Biden remains committed to developing the charging network.

At least that's what we've heard over the past two years, but now the White House has started to make good on that claim. On Monday, it was announced the first federally funded charger is now online, marking a milestone in the quest for a domestic EV highway network.

Columbus, Ohio, will be the first city of many to receive an influx of federally funded electric vehicle chargers as part of a claimed 500,000 ports in total. But adding more chargers along this central Midwest corridor will likely be a welcome addition for locals and travelers alike.

For our Midwest readers, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine confirmed the new charging station will be located at the Pilot Travel Center at Interstate 70 and US 42 in Madison County, about 25 minutes west of Columbus. The plug type at this station will be CCS compatible, though not NACS or CHAdeMO usable.

With $7.5 billion in tax dollars allocated from the $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure law, the White House said ground is being broken on several additional chargers in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Maine. With a decent electrification infrastructure throughout the Tri-State area and Massachusetts, these rural chargers will help link the East Coast for EV owners.

Ohio received $140 million of the $7.5 billion federal pool and has used around $18 million of it to create these new stations. Companies like Pilot Travel Centers, TH Midwest, Francis Energy, Meijer Stores, EVgo Services, ChargeNet Stations, and Equilon/Shell have all teamed up to pitch in $6 million as well.

The Biden administration says there are around 165,000 publicly available chargers in the US as of December, including DC fast chargers. The White House says the number of publicly available fast-charging ports has increased by more than 70% since Biden's inauguration.

Building on his plan to have 50% of new vehicle sales EVs or plug-in hybrids by 2030, the White House also wants a highway network connecting EV chargers spread no further than 50 miles apart.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said this milestone is the first step to "create a convenient, affordable, and reliable electrified transportation system." Despite some pushback, the Biden Administration said all 50 states are preparing in some way for an EV transition, though this process will look drastically different from state to state.

In total, Ohio is set to receive 27 chargers from this program, all situated on Interstates 70, 71, 76, 77, and 90, the Ohio Turnpike. As other states start to develop their own EV infrastructure, the placement of these chargers at gas stations, stores, and restaurants will be key to EV market expansion.

Which EV charging stations have you had the best luck with? Please share your thoughts below.