EV Charging Stations Move Forward: What It Means In Wisconsin

WISCONSIN — New electric vehicle charging stations could be coming to Wisconsin as early as next spring after the U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday gave final approval to all 50 states to expand zero-emission car networks.

The federal approval goes toward the Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Initiative, a statewide government effort that began in 2021. The WEVI Plan's goals include establishing a network of public charging stations on Wisconsin interstates and integrating electric vehicle charging between urban, suburban and rural areas.

Those goals break down to having 100 percent of Wisconsin's federal interstates built out to National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program standards and having 85 percent of Wisconsin's State Highway System within 25 miles of a NEVI-compliant station.

That’s good news for thousands of electric vehicle, or EV, owners in Wisconsin.

Some 9,300 EVs were registered in Wisconsin last year, an increase from about 2,600 EVs in 2016, according to registration counts estimated by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory using data from Experian Information Solutions.

Wisconsin’s EV drivers typically don’t have trouble finding EV charging stations in the greater Milwaukee and Madison areas, plus much of southeastern Wisconsin. Door County, known for its tourism, also is host to several EV charging stations. But as is the case with many things in Wisconsin, EV charges become more sparse the further north you get.

After final approval of the states’ plans Tuesday, EV charging stations will be placed about every 50 miles on interstate highways with money set aside in the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan. The states will share in the release of $1.5 billion — or $5 billion over five years — to install the chargers from coast to coast.

The department gave final approval to EV charger plans submitted by the last 17 states. Plans for the other 33 states and the District of Columbia were approved earlier this month.

The plans for Wisconsin come as a coalition of midwestern states plans an EV charger circle tour around Lake Michigan. The agreement, which key officials from each state signed by August, will build out and maintain the new network and market it as a new eco-tourism attraction, according to Gov. Tony Evers.

RELATED: WI Plans Electric Car Charger 'Circuit' Around Lake Michigan Shoreline

Some states are farther ahead than others in developing the critical infrastructure to support the EVs. By the end of the year, drivers could see expansions and upgrades to existing EV stations in California, Colorado, Florida and Pennsylvania that have at least four fast-charger ports that can fully recharge an EV in about an hour.

“America led the original automotive revolution in the last century, and ... we’re poised to lead in the 21st century with electric vehicles,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

The plans will “help ensure that Americans in every part of the country — from the largest cities to the most rural communities — can be positioned to unlock the savings and benefits of electric vehicles.”

Approval of the states’ plans is a major step toward building widespread acceptance and use of electric vehicles among consumers, whose hesitancy is measured by the limited availability of public chargers.

President Joe Biden has set a goal that half of new U.S. car sales be electric by 2030. As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration authorized tax credits of up to $7,500 next year to make electric vehicles more accessible to everyday Americans.

Still, the five-year plans suggest a potentially long and bumpy road ahead for a highway EV network, with states citing risks such as a lack of electricity grid capacity, supply chain shortages and equity concerns.

For instance, while Texas, California and Florida say their grid should be able to handle increased capacity of a million or more EVs, other states aren't so sure.

“Capacity will become a concern in future years as charging infrastructure and EVs become more ubiquitous,” New Mexico said in its plan.

Vermont wrote that “Unmanaged or unplanned for EV charging could cause utilities to incur significant costs to maintain grid reliability and create challenges for grid operators” and that some locations “may also necessitate intensive grid upgrades and buildout.”

Mississippi cited potential shortages of EV charging station equipment, which it said “may cause significant setbacks” in construction. Several states also expressed concern that they would not be able to acquire charging stations that meet the American-made provisions.

“It may delay implementation by several years,” New Jersey officials wrote.

Under the Department of Transportation’s requirements, states also must focus first on more expensive fast chargers on highway routes that typically cost $40,000 to $100,000 to install, rather than keying in on neighborhoods and communities with Level 2 chargers that are cheaper but take a few hours to provide a full charge.

Currently, electric vehicle owners charge their vehicles at home 80 percent of the time, typically at single-family houses. But that is likely to change as the less affluent who don’t have a garage to house a charging station buy EVs.

Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law provides an additional $2.5 billion for local grants to fill the remaining gaps in the charging network in rural areas and in disadvantaged communities, which are less likely to own the higher-priced electric vehicles or have charging stations readily available near them.

The Federal Highway Administration said Tuesday that it will begin taking applications for that money later this year.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.