For Immediate Release
Friday, February 4, 2022
Contact: Lily Morris, lmorris@azdem.org

ICYMI: New Toolkit to Help Rural Communities in AZ Build Out Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation released a toolkit to help rural communities across the country take full advantage of federal funding for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The guide, titled Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure, is intended to connect and empower a variety of rural stakeholders, including States, local communities, Tribes, transportation providers, non-profits, businesses, and individuals needed for these projects. This toolkit will help our leaders in rural communities have the tools and information they need to start planning and implementing EV infrastructure projects and ultimately realize the benefits of electric mobility.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a total of $76 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in Arizona to build a convenient and equitable network of chargers to help make EVs accessible to all Arizonans, regardless of their zip code. The toolkit also focuses on infrastructure for light-duty electric passenger vehicles (such as sedans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks), but also addresses funding opportunities and planning considerations for other types of electric vehicles, including transit and school buses, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and agricultural equipment such as tractors.

Read more here on how the Biden Administration will increase the availability of affordable public charging and help give rural Arizonans the confidence that they will be able to recharge when and where they need to, just as reliably as they can refuel a conventional vehicle today.

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