Traffic & Transit

Newington Gets Funding For Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

The Town of Newington is getting a small piece of a $6 million legal settlement pie announced by Gov. Ned Lamont this week.

NEWINGTON, CT β€” It will soon be a bit easier to charge electric vehicles after the state of Connecticut received $6 million from a settlement, funding several charging station projects, including two in Newington.

Gov. Ned Lamont this week said the state is releasing more than $6 million from the legal settlement in the Volkswagen Corp. (VW) emissions cheating scandal to fund 54 electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) projects across Connecticut.

Newington benefits

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Newington will benefit via an $62,075 award that will fund fund two charging stations at outdoor pedestals at 120 Garfield St., Newington.

The grant will help Newington pay for the total cost of the project, with the town kicking in $33,425.

Find out what's happening in Newingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Administered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the state is making these funds available for the installation of EVSE to encourage the use of electric vehicles.

β€œI’m really proud of the investments we’re making in Connecticut’s future while driving down air pollution from cars and trucks at the same time,” Lamont said. β€œThe projects we are announcing today will go a long way in helping to improve air quality and protect public health throughout Connecticut, while also providing economic development opportunities.”

β€œThe transportation sector is responsible for approximately 70 percent of smog forming air pollution and 40 percent of climate pollution in Connecticut,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. β€œExpanding the availability of charging infrastructure around the state is critical to scaling up EV adoption.”

With the $6 million of this funding round, a total of $35 million of Connecticut’s VW sttlement funding has been awarded to support more than 100 clean air projects statewide.

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