Pennsylvania state officials said $936,000 in grant funding through the Commonwealth’s national settlement share with Volkswagen Group of America would be used to help expand statewide electric vehicle use.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently outlined plans to install 16 more fast chargers in high-traffic areas – in conjunction with draft rulemaking making electric vehicles more readily available to consumers and the release of a booklet espousing benefits and basics of zero emission vehicles.
“Our transportation decisions affect Pennsylvania today and tomorrow,” DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said. “We can turn in the direction of healthier air quality and slow down climate change by switching to electric vehicles, whether we’re government officials, business owners, school administrators, community leaders, or individual consumers.”
McDonnell said DEP is committed to supporting its choice by increasing public knowledge of electric vehicles, making it easier for consumers to find electric models, and aiding the effort to expand charging infrastructure.
Officials noted DEP awarded $750,000 to EVgo Services for three projects involving the installation of a total of 14 fast-charging plugs at three different locations – Philadelphia, Ridley Township in Delaware County, and Moon Township in Allegheny County while EVBuild, Inc. received $186,619 for a project to install two fast-charging plugs in a mall parking lot at Quakertown Borough in Bucks County.
Authorities noted the projects are expected to remove 771 tons of carbon dioxide, .50 ton of nitrogen oxides, .30 ton of volatile organic compounds, 186 pounds of coarse particulate matter, and 51 pounds of fine particulate matter from the air annually.