On Wednesday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation into law enabling the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to receive and administer more than $78 million in federal funds for the state’s electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.
The funds, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will unlock National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funds available for Wisconsin over the next five years. The two pieces of legislation, 2023 Wisconsin Acts 121 and 122 will let the make progress toward improving EV infrastructure, and implementing quick, available EV charging stations to support drivers across the state.
“We don’t have to choose between protecting our environment and natural resources or creating good-paying jobs and infrastructure to meet the needs of a 21st-Century economy—in Wisconsin, we’re doing both,” Evers said. “Expanding EV charging infrastructure is a critical part of our work to ensure Wisconsin is ready to compete and build the future we want for our kids—one that is cleaner, more sustainable, and more efficient. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re ready to get to work.”
The first piece of legislation, Act 121, changes current state law to give businesses the opportunity to offer EV chargers that sell electricity by the kilowatt hour. The second piece of legislation, Act 122, creates a new EV infrastructure program at WisDOT that will allow the department to receive and administer the federal NEVI funds.
“Thanks to Gov. Evers signing this critical legislation into law, Wisconsin will soon have the infrastructure to support the increased demand for electric vehicles,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “WisDOT is ready to activate the federal funding and help industry quickly build fast chargers across the state. Electric vehicle drivers in Wisconsin will soon be able to travel about 85 percent of our state highway system and never be more than 25 miles away from a charger.”