Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced a request for proposals to expand the state’s network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles.
Responses to the RFP are due on July 13 and are expected to be selected late this summer.
“Electric vehicles are no longer the technology of the future, they’re here now,” Beshear said. “We’re excited by the progress we’re making to expand our charging network, and we will keep working until Kentucky has the network required to meet the needs of the families that rely on our roads each day.”
The RFP is the fourth under the state’s EV Charging Program which has supported 12 fast-charging sites to date. Kentucky expected to receive nearly $70 million in federal funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program established as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law in 2021.
Previous proposals focused on the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors along interstates and parkways. The AFCs currently have 12 open sites and another 16 under construction. The latest proposal seeks private developers to design, build, operate and maintain the stations in urban and rural areas not already served, as well as routes connecting interstates and parkways: U.S. 23, U.S. 68, U.S. 25E, U.S. 27 and U.S. 127, AA Highway in central and eastern Kentucky; U.S. 68, KY 80, U.S. 51 and U.S. 60 in western Kentucky; and urban areas such as Ashland, Covington, Lexington, Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Henderson.
Each station must have a minimum of four charging ports and be accessible to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.