LAUREL, Md. – Standing next to a new charging station, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler touted the fast EV chargers set to be installed along Maryland highways.
The grant process will start soon using $1 million in funds. Gansler says the state will match any private investment in the chargers.
“Approximately 20 of them from this money will go in from western Maryland to Ocean City and across the state,” Gansler says.
Right now, Maryland ranks as one of the lowest states in electric vehicle sales. By building the infrastructure to allow drivers to easily charge their cars, the idea is that more consumers will choose the greener option.
It will “make it easier for people to look at, adopt and buy a car and not feel anxious or concerned about where’s the next charging station,” says John Murach, BGE’s manager of energy efficient programs.
Unlike chargers that take up to six hours to charge an electric car while drivers are at home or work, these are built for use mid-trip.
“There are folks now who are attempting to get to the Eastern Shore in a Nissan Leaf and they have to hang out for four to six hours until the recharge. The new fast chargers will eliminate that,” says Jill Sorenson with BEVI electric vehicle initiative.
Proponents say growing the electric car infrastructure also means more jobs at Baltimore’s General Motors manufacturing plant that produces electric engines for the Chevy Spark EV.
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