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Athens Receives $5 Million Federal Grant for Electric Vehicle Chargers

Credit: Oregon DOT

Athens-Clarke County received a $5 million grant through the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law to install electric vehicle chargers, according to an announcement last week from Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

With the required 20 percent local match bringing the total to $6.1 million, that’s enough for 58 chargers at 14 sites across the county, according to Mike Wharton, director of the ACC Sustainability Department. The local portion will come from franchise fees charged to utility companies to use public land, which the ACC government sets aside in a clean energy fund.

“We are literally doubling or more than doubling our public EV charging capacity,” Wharton said.

County officials are looking at publicly owned sites for the chargers, especially those near low-income neighborhoods and apartment complexes, where renters can’t install their own chargers. Some examples he listed include the courthouse, Lay Park, Southeast Clarke Park, Prince Avenue, North Avenue, the Cleveland Road fire station and the park-and-ride lot at the Loop’s Oconee Street exit.

As the technology matures and EV prices come down, and more used vehicles hit the market, more people will be able to afford one, Wharton said, as long as there are enough charging stations to alleviate range anxiety. They will save money on gas in the long run, as well as lowering emissions. About 30% of pollution in Clarke County comes from the transportation sector.

Twenty of the chargers will be DC fast chargers, which can charge a battery to 80% in 20 minutes, and 38 will be Level 2 chargers, which charge a vehicle in about four to six hours. They will likely have dual heads, as auto manufacturers have varying types, although Tesla’s will be the standard for most companies moving forward. The grant will also cover maintenance for five years. Wharton said he expects the chargers to be installed within the next year or two.

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