In his fourth try, Del. Rip Sullivan found success with his Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund, which will receive $1.5 million to start from the state budget.
It took multiple General Assembly sessions, but this year the body has created a road to electric vehicle charging station investments for rural locations.
Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax County, has carried the bill for four years, arguing that most of Virginia’s EV charging stations are within a mile of interstates 81, 64, 66 and 95. With more EVs on roads and more to come, it makes sense to provide charging stations in farther-flung areas, he says.
His bill passed both the House and Senate last year, but the General Assembly had no budget for it. This year, it passed in both bodies again, and budget negotiators agreed to provide $1.5 million to fund it. The bill, HB 1791, will go to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has until March 24 to take action.
The money establishes a fund that private developers could tap into for grants that would cover up to 70% of nonutility costs including labor, equipment, foundations, driveways and surface markings to install EV charging stations in areas with low population density and higher-than-state-average unemployment.
Read the full article: https://cardinalnews.org/2025/02/25/funding-for-rural-ev-charging-stations-clears-legislature-heads-to-governors-desk/
