BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont is bringing in more EV chargers to empower drivers to hit the road for longer.
According to the 2024 Transportation Electrification Forecast, more than 120,000 Vermonters are expected to switch to EVs in the next 10 years. However, travel is limited with few fast chargers along the interstate. That’s about to change.
For a grocery store run or a trip to work, Amy Powers of Richmond is hopping in her Chevy Bolt. But where long trips are concerned, she says her EV is out of the question.
“I have definitely planned around not taking this car. I’m lucky enough that within the family I have another car we can use and we’ve just done that when we need to take a longer trip which is unfortunate,” said Powers.
She says she’d like to use the Bolt more and pollute less, but it’s hard to find EV chargers along the highway.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation recently announced a list of EV charging providers capable of building out chargers along popular routes.
Burlington Electric Department is one of eight selected.
“We want charging to be ubiquitous. We want it to be as easy to find a charger as it’s been traditionally to find a gas station and as convenient as well,” said Darren Springer of the Burlington Electric Department.
The initiative focuses on installing fast chargers every 50 miles along the state’s highways within a mile of exits.
It’s part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program.
Drivers could park and charge in roughly half an hour or so before hitting the road.
“Maybe get some food or rest for a few minutes, charge up and then be back on your way,” said Springer.
Springer says he hopes the EV infrastructure attracts more foot traffic in the Queen City.
“So they know they can come here to shop and to stay and to be part of our local economy,” he said.
For those considering buying an EV, the network of chargers could tip the scale.
“If I was going out of state and making a long trip, I’d have to do less planning about where I’d find my next charge. That would just take the slight range anxiety out of it,” said Tom Hopkins of Shelburne.
Buyers like Hopkins are exactly who Springer hopes to attract with the buildout.
“The idea that there’s charging where I need it and it’s convenient, and it’s happening everywhere, along the route that I want to drive is going to be just another reason to say, ‘OK, I’m ready to go electric,’” said Springer.
Burlington Electric says they will bid on Burlington’s buildout later this summer when the agency opens up requests for proposals.