More EV Charging Stations Move Forward In Washington
SEATTLE — Construction of electric vehicle charging stations in Washington could begin as early as next spring after the U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday gave final approval to all 50 states to begin building a nationwide network to support zero-emission cars and trucks.
Under Washington's electric vehicle charging station plan, the state plans to spend $71 million over the next five years, starting with $10 million by next year. The new stations are good news for thousands of electric vehicle, or EV, owners in Washington, a state with one of the nation's most EV drivers per capita.
Nearly 67,000 EVs were registered in the Evergreen State last year, compared to just 15,000 EVs in 2016, according to registration counts estimated by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory using data from Experian Information Solutions. Only California has more EVs by population.
While EV drivers typically don’t have trouble finding EV charging stations in metro areas, they are more scarce in rural areas. Though hundreds of charging stations are clustered around Puget Sound, there are far fewer along cross-state corridors like Interstate 90 and Highway 2. WSDOT's first priority will be completing stations on north-south routes like Interstate 5 and east-west interstates, like I-90.
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