Waldoboro and Searsport included

Tue, 08/01/2023 - 12:30pm

Recharge Maine, the state's initiative to develop a statewide network of public, high-speed EV chargers, announced planned awards of more than $6 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program funds authorized by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The seven sites are to extend to Bangor, Augusta, and the stretch of U.S. Route 1 between Ellsworth and Freeport.

Associated locations for the chargers will be Equilon Enterprises LLC (Shell), 322 Stillwater Ave, Bangor

Tesla, Inc., 197 Civic Center Drive, Augusta

ReVision Energy, 225 High Street, Ellsworth

D&C Properties, 423 East Main Street, Searsport

Tesla, Inc., 75 Maverick Street,

Rockland Irving Oil, 1555 Atlantic Highway, Waldoboro

Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, 11 Atlantic Avenue, Brunswick

Through a separate competitive solicitation to deploy funds from the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan (MJRP), Recharge Maine also awarded six additional sites to extend the charging network along the most traveled routes to the Crown of Maine and to the Eastern border with New Brunswick.

Awarded bidders using MJRP funds, and the associated locations for the chargers, are:

Irving Oil, 1941 Medway Road, Medway

Universal EV LLC, 282 North Street, Houlton

True Upside Consulting, 5 Clark Siding Road, Ashland

True Upside Consulting, 162 Houlton Road, Danforth

Universal EV LLC, 103 Main Street, Machias

Both initiatives aim to have the awarded chargers in operation next year.

"This funding will help expand our states EV charging network, reducing range anxiety for EV users who live, work, and travel in Maine," said MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note, in a news release. “Increasing electrification of vehicles will help improve our quality of life by reducing carbon emissions from the transportation sector.”

The DOT contracted with the Efficiency Maine Trust to administer the initiative.

Over the next several years, Maine will receive approximately $18 million from the NEVI Formula program to fund the development of the state’s deployment plan. Currently, a total of 708 Level 2 community plugs and 216 DC high-speed charging plugs are publicly available in Maine. Consumers can find all of these charger locations using the charging station locator on the Efficiency Maine website.

Recharge Maine is a statewide initiative to expand the availability of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) on Maines highways and within communities.

Recharge Maine is guided by the strategies and priorities outlined in Maines Plan for EV Infrastructure Deployment, approved by the FHWA in 2022 and available at https://driveelectric.gov/state-plans/.

To date, the initiative has awarded funds for 395 charging ports at 136 locations throughout Maine. That includes 46 DC fast charge (DCFC) ports on the states Alternative Fuel Corridors and 349 Level 2 (L2) publicly accessible community ports at businesses, municipalities, state agencies, multi-unit dwellings, and other public properties.

About Efficiency Maine Trust The Efficiency Maine Trust (Efficiency Maine) is the independent, quasi-state agency established to plan and implement energy efficiency programs in Maine. Visit www.efficiencymaine.com for more information.