Federal Funds for Electric Vehicle Charging in Wisconsin May be at Risk

Thursday, December 7th, 2023 -- 8:00 AM

(Ted Ehlen, WRN) Federal funding for charging electric vehicles in Wisconsin may be at risk.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says state lawmakers need to update an old law on the books prohibiting the sale of electricity by the kilowatt-hour by anyone other than a public utility. The law puts EV owners at a disadvantage in finding high-speed chargers in the state.

The companies that own those chargers can only charge consumers by the amount of time their vehicle is plugged in rather than by the kilowatt hour. Right now, there are only four high-speed charging locations in Wisconsin.

The transportation department says they have an approved plan that could create "full coverage" for EV drivers to get a quick charge across the state, and the federal government has provided more than $78 million for Wisconsin to build it.

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