WKYT: RICHMOND, KY This Monday, there was a little more noise surrounding the Circle K near I-75 Exit 87 in Richmond as construction workers started building a new electric vehicle charging station.
Governor Andy Beshear declared, “Here in Kentucky, we are supercharging our economy and supercharging our future.”
It is the first National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program-built EV charging station in the Southeast of the United States. Kentucky will get $70 million from the program via the infrastructure package that was enacted by both parties.
“I-75 is an important corridor – not only for Kentucky but for the entire nation,” stated Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen Bhatt. The Brent Spence Bridge is traversed by 3% of the country’s GDP. This is a thoughtfully placed charging station.
Travelers visiting Kentucky will soon get accustomed to seeing these charging stations since 40 fast-charging stations will be supported by federal cash. This year, 24 of them are anticipated to begin construction.
Governor Beshear stated, “Families will be able to easily charge as they travel into or through our great state thanks to these fast-charging stations.” “We are installing charging stations along 11 interstates and 8 parkways with funding from our federal program, which totals $70 million.”
This initial phase of Kentucky’s EV network construction is underway concurrently with a bill proposed by Republican lawmakers to safeguard retail filling stations. In addition, twenty other states have joined Attorney General Russell Coleman in suing Bhatt and the Biden administration over federal emissions regulations.
According to Governor Beshear, the state should encourage conventional cars while keeping the door open for EVs in the future.
Governor Beshear stated, “There will be a lot of options in this industry for decades to come.” “We have to make sure we lead in every single one of them if we want to be the automotive leader.”
In this initial phase, charging stations have also been allocated to Berea, Winchester, and London. Gov. Beshear issued a fresh call for bids during Monday’s groundbreaking for the development of 16 additional sites to complete this network, with the goal of finishing them all by 2025.
