PROVIDENCE, RI -- Rhode Island’s efforts to increase publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and make it more convenient for drivers of electric vehicles to charge up their cars is getting a $15 million jolt in federal funding.

U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Governor Dan McKee today announced $15 million in new federal funding for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to help install over 200 new electric vehicle charging stations at convenient locations across the state.  The funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program, which was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58), which Reed and Whitehouse helped enact in 2021.

RIDOT and its partners, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), will use the federal funds to boost the state’s charging infrastructure through its statewide plan: Charging Ahead: Rhode Island Working Together for Electrification (Charging Ahead).

Charging Ahead is an interagency project that aims to further the design, installation, management, and maintenance of EV charging stations in public and accessible locations throughout the state. Funds would support increased public awareness of EVs and their benefits through community engagement, education, and workforce training in support of the state’s EV network.  

The 206 new chargers will be installed at 85 charging sites across Rhode Island.

“Charging an electric vehicle should be as easy as filling up at a gas station. This new $15 million investment will grow the state’s electric charging infrastructure network in a smart, sustainable way that reduces pollution and helps people lower their fuel costs.  It will accelerate 24/7 access to public charging stations that are convenient, affordable, and reliable for Rhode Island’s growing population of EV drivers,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

“As we get more electric vehicles on the road, drivers need to be supported by convenient and accessible charging options,” said Senator Whitehouse, a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee.  “After working to get EV charging station funding into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I’m pleased to see this new investment coming to Rhode Island.”

“This new federal funding will complement Rhode Island’s ongoing investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, building upon the work already being done through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program,” said Governor McKee. “These additional funds will help accelerate the expansion of charging stations across the state and support workforce development initiatives while contributing to our Act on Climate Change objectives.”

Charging Ahead aims to expand community-based EV charging infrastructure and bridge gaps in EV charging accessibility. The project will utilize various community locations such as public road parking lots, municipal office buildings, public schools, and public parks. These locations have been carefully selected with a focus on Disadvantaged Census Tracts identified for Justice40, aiming to serve residents' trips to nearby commercial and recreational areas. RIDOT and its partners envision a unified statewide network of EV charging locations accessible through a single smartphone app and maintained by a designated contractor.

In this two-phase project, RIDOT will collaborate with OER as a subrecipient to design, install, manage and maintain publicly-available electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on publicly accessible properties, ensuring affordable and accessible charging options for Rhode Island residents and visitors.

The Ocean State is demonstrating progress on EVs. Recently, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to complete Phase 1 under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, having implemented a total of eight Direct Current Fast Chargers and six Dual-Port Level 2 charging stations along I-95’s Alternative Fuel Corridor.

Reed and Whitehouse helped include $2.5 billion for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program over five years in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work, in both urban and rural areas, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods, particularly in underserved areas.  This charging infrastructure program will ensure all American communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity anytime, anywhere.