Louisiana's Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Plan Published
Posted by admin on Aug. 1, 2022 / Electric Vehicles, Clean Fuels Funding, Clean Fuels Infrastructure / Subscribe 0
Louisiana Clean Fuels Thanks the Members of the EV Committee for a Job Well Done
State Plan is Published and Available for Download
DOTD’s EV planning committee includes representatives from FHWA, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR). This committee met bi-weekly for several months to discuss alternative fuel corridors and DOTD’s EV Infrastructure Plan as it relates to NEVI formula funds. This interagency coordination contributed to the timely submission of the Round 6 Alternative Fuel CorridorNomination on May 13, 2022 and assisted with submission of the Louisiana Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan prior to the August 1, 2022 deadline. The committee collaborated with Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuels Partnership (SLCFP), a Clean Cities Coalition, and also the Center for Sustainable Energy.
EV Planning Committee Members:
- Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
- Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
- Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
- Grant Management Group, LLC
- Louisiana Clean Fuels, Inc. (a Clean Cities coalition)
- Federal Highway Administration - Louisiana Division
The DOTD estimates that it will have enough funding to approve grant applications for a minimum of 300 DC fast chargers across the state. Using the Alternative Fuel Data Center (AFDC) EVI-Pro Lite Tool, we have calculated that 300 DC fast chargers should be adequate to support approximately 86,000 electric vehicles that are projected to be on the road in Louisiana by 2050 according to the Center for Sustainable Energy's projections for Louisiana. The intention of the state is to award as many contracts as possible until the funding runs out. Variable that can affect this number are supply chain issues that could increase the price of labor, equipment, and materials.
Approximate Locations of DCFC Stations to be Upgraded and Installed, Phase1 (See page 30 of the Plan)
Each State was required to develop a Plan in accordance with this guidance and submit their final Plan not later than August 1, 2022 to the Joint Office. Louisiana published a draft plan for public comment on July 18th and submitted their final version to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation on August 1, 2022. Pending the approval of the state plan by FHWA and the timely publication of further federal guidance documents, the state hopes to open a call for RFPs in Q1 of 2023 and potentially begin awarding qualified applications by Q2 of 2023.
NEVI Formula Program investments in EV charging infrastructure have the potential to:
- Improve clean transportation access through the location of chargers;
- Decrease the transportation energy cost burden by enabling reliable access to affordable charging;
- Reduce environmental exposures to transportation emissions;
- Increase parity in clean energy technology access and adoption;
- Increase access to low-cost capital to increase equitable adoption of more costly, clean energy technologies like EVs and EV chargers;
- Increase the clean energy job pipeline, job training, and enterprise creation in disadvantaged communities;
- Increase energy resilience;
- Provide charging infrastructure for transit and shared-ride vehicles;
- Increase equitable access to the electric grid; and
- Minimize gentrification-induced displacement result from new EV charging infrastructure.
Whats Next?
The goal to get a grant program up and running by Q1 2023 may be hampered by the delayed publication of further federal guidance documents needed to develop our grant programs. The DOTD and LCF will keep you informed as we move through the process. All lines of public comment and feedback will remain open during the development and implementation of the grant program to ensure that the process is transparent and that our stakeholders get ample opportunity to provide their input.
When the time comes, would you like assistance with your grant application? DOTD also contracted Louisiana Clean Fuels to assist with outreach and education to not only increase awareness of the program, but to also assist applicants with their project development plans. Make sure you are on our mailing so that we can inform you when we post information about upcoming grant workshops or webinars to assist applicants with their grant proposals.
View the Plan and share your feedback here: https://lcf.mysocialpinpoint.com/la_ev_plan
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