MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed bipartisan bills Wednesday designed to jump-start creation of an electric vehicle charging network along the state’s interstate system and major highways.
The funding is designed to support Level 3 charging stations, which will allow for passenger electric vehicles to be recharged in less than an hour. Lower level chargers are designed to recharge a vehicle overnight or throughout the day.“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,” Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson said in a statement Wednesday.
The funding was part of $7.5 billion included in the 2021 infrastructure law passed to meet President Joe Biden’s goal to buildby 2030. The charging ports are a key part of Biden’s effort to encourage drivers to move away from gasoline-powered cars and trucks that contribute to global warming.program. As of mid-January, a total of 28 states, plus Puerto Rico, have either awarded contracts to build chargers or have accepted bids to do so.
Wisconsin law only allows utilities to charge per kilowatt-hour. That means any business that wanted to offer a charging station would have to be regulated as a utility.