Maryland is one step closer to getting more than 3,400 public electric-vehicle chargers along its interstates, thanks to the Biden administration's approval today of the state's electric vehicle infrastructure plan.
The federal government approved, ahead of schedule, the electric-vehicle charging plans for 35 states, including Maryland.
The approval means Maryland can get $22.7 million in federal funding to put about 3,497 public charging ports on interstates. The funding is coming from the massive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last year.
The state will prioritize putting the charges along its designated electric-vehicle corridors, which comprise about 1,139 miles of highways like I-695, I-495, I-70, I-795, I-95, I-97, Route 1, Route 50 and Route 140.
Maryland transportation officials said last year there were more than 38,000 electric vehicles in the state - up dramatically from just about 600 in 2012 - and more than 1,000 stations. The state announced last year a $3.7 million investment in electric-vehicle charging, funded in part by a settlement with Volkswagen over air pollution.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement:
“With the first set of approvals we are announcing today, 35 states across the country – with Democratic and Republican governors – will be moving forward to use these funds to install EV chargers at regular, reliable intervals along their highways.”
The Biden administration's approval today will let states get more than $900 million in total federal funding for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to help build electric-vehicle chargers across about 53,000 miles of highway nationwide.
