Ky. receives nearly $70M to add EV charging stations

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Demand for electric vehicles is skyrocketing, and Kentucky is working to keep up with it.

The state recently received nearly $70 million to add electric vehicle charging stations across the state.

“There’s just so many positives about the vehicle,” said Derek DeFranco, the co-owner of Mirror Twin Brewing.

DeFranco is the happy new owner of a Tesla. But with all its pros comes cons as well.

“My wife’s from Hazard and there’s no charging stations from here to Hazard,” DeFranco said.

They found fuel options to be few and far between for their trips to see family.

“To make a full trip we would return with almost no charge,” DeFranco said.

So they’ve had to turn back to gas, using a brewery truck instead. It’s a lack of access that Evolve KY has been fighting to fix.

“EVolve KY has installed 124 chargers and 58 locations so we’re kind of practicing what we preach,” said Mike Proctor, with the Evolve KY Board of Directors.

The group has been advocating for the adoption of EVs since 2015, and board member Proctor says this federal funding will help ease the concerns of drivers like DeFranco.

“That’s what the $70 million is all about, is putting fast chargers in along the roads so people can travel the interstate without having range anxiety,” Proctor said.

The plan says that each of these corridors must have charging stations within 50 miles of one another, and like the one located in Hamburg, they must be within a mile of the roadway.

Proctor said the supply of chargers will grow in a way that meets the demand of vehicles on the road.

“The two will just naturally dovetail together, and as a result of this happening, people will say, ‘hey I’ve got one, this is great,’” Proctor said.

But he is hoping that more ground gets covered as time passes, especially in areas far away from those major roadways.

“It would be nice having that peace of mind knowing we can go other places and not have to worry about getting stuck in the middle of the road,” DeFranco said.

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