Biden Administration Approves Iowa DOT Electric Vehicle Plan

Iowa DOT

By Nikoel Hytrek

September 28, 2022

Soon, electric vehicle charging stations will be available along hundreds of miles of Iowa roadway.

The US Department of Transportation (US DOT) approved Iowa’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Deployment Plan on Tuesday. Iowa will receive $51.4 million over five years in federal funding to install high-powered chargers for electric vehicles along about 742 miles of designated space. The first stage of this plan is to build chargers on interstate highways, and the next will be for community-based locations.

The money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Joe Biden in December.

This expansion will make electric vehicles more accessible for more Iowans and help the trend of electric vehicle ownership continue to rise in the state.

Iowa has 221 public charging locations across the state, with more pending. Most have more than one spot to charge, and this plan will only expand people’s options.

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According to data from the Iowa Department of Transportation, more than 9,400 electric and hybrid vehicles were registered in Iowa as of April. That’s up from 2019, when that number was 3,300 and in 2021 when it was 5,880. Sales are increasing every year, and automakers are increasingly releasing more electric options.

“America led the original automotive revolution in the last century, and today, thanks to the historic resources in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re poised to lead in the 21st century with electric vehicles,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Electric vehicle plans have been approved in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.

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With more chargers, there are more opportunities for people to charge their vehicles, eliminating the anxiety of going long distances without knowing they’ll have the chance. Combined with better electric vehicles over time it seems nothing is stopping the new movement of electrification.

Iowa Republicans have put a number of barriers in the way of owning electric vehicles, including more fees, but that hasn’t stopped Iowans’ interest.

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And this isn’t the only funding opportunity to expand electric vehicles in the state and country. The Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act both have provisions to bring down the price of electric vehicles and to boost American manufacturing of the semiconductors needed for electric vehicles.

There are also grants and additional programs states can use.

The transportation sector is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases in America, and plans to expand electric vehicles will reduce that load. It will also reduce America’s reliance on fossil fuels, both domestic and foreign, and reduce the cost of travel and refueling with more energy efficiency and lower costs for that fuel.

 

Nikoel Hytrek
09/28/22

Have a story idea or something I should know? Email me at [email protected]. You can also DM me on Twitter at @n_hytrek

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  • Nikoel Hytrek

    Nikoel Hytrek is Iowa Starting Line’s longest-serving reporter. She covers LGBTQ issues, abortion rights and all topics of interest to Iowans. Her biggest goal is to help connect the dots between policy and people’s real lives. If you have story ideas or tips, send them over to [email protected].

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