Durham wins $4.8 million federal grant for high-speed EV charging stations

The city of Durham won a federal grant Thursday of $4.86 million to build 20 new high-speed charging stations for electric vehicles.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the grant is part of a national push to build what they’re calling "alternative fuel corridors" for supply-chain trucks as well as personal vehicles. He said the Biden administration wants half the cars and trucks on the roads to be electric by 2030 – and that’s going to require a lot more chargers in a lot more places.

“The truth is we couldn't run all of those vehicles of tomorrow on today's grid and today's charging network,” Buttigieg said. “We've got to make sure that the infrastructure is there, the same way we've got to make sure the roads and bridges are in good shape.”

Buttigieg said the 20 new high-speed charging stations funded by the federal grant aren’t just for travelers passing through. He hopes they’ll also encourage nearby residents to make the switch to an electric vehicle.

“Not everybody has a garage and a plug-in,” he said. “If you don't have a single-family home, you need a charging solution. That's part of what we're trying to make sure we're filling in the gaps on with this program.”

Durham is a good site for high-speed chargers, Buttigieg said, because several major highways come within a few miles of each other, so the chargers can serve travelers along more than one corridor.

Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams says it’s a big win for his city.

“I just got a call from Secretary Pete Buttigieg on my personal cell phone congratulating me,” Williams said. “I am stoked!”

Williams said the new chargers are required to be close to a major highway – and also located in underserved communities that might not otherwise have access to them.

“We’re putting the investment in the communities that may not normally have been attractive to investment,” Williams said. “So, the government is doing its part. We’re going to serve as a catalyst to attract other investments.”

Williams says city staff haven’t decided yet where the new fast chargers are going to go. City staff members are expected to share plans for the proposed locations in the coming months.

The city of Kings Mountain is the other North Carolina municipality to win part of the $623 million in funding to build out the EV charging network under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. Kings Mountain is due to receive $823,000. The federal government is planning 47 projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico as part of the program.

Separately, Thursday’s news comes after the North Carolina Department of Transportation published an online map with the proposed locations of the first batch of electric vehicle charging stations that will be funded through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. NCDOT identified the 11 locations to fill the gaps where fewer EV charging stations currently exist and serve a more geographically diverse group of people in both rural and urban areas.