Mesa’s goal of becoming an electric vehicle-friendly city got a boost with a chuck of federal funding.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Mesa a $11.8 million grant to increase its public EV charging ports across the city. The money could enable the city to increase the number of publicly available EV chargers could increase by 40%, city staff said.
It’s a two-part effort the city is undertaking. Mesa is in the early stages of developing a communitywide electric vehicle adoption master plan. Increasing its electric vehicle charging stations is also part of its climate action plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Mesa and Arizona are adopting EVs faster than most of the U.S., and this investment in our city’s charging network will have a measurable impact,” said Mayor John Giles in the news release.
Nearly 3,200 Mesa residents and more than 40,000 Arizonans drive electric vehicles, according to data from the city. The state also ranks sixth in the nation for the number of electric vehicles driven per 1,000 residents.
How Mesa will use the funds
Today, the city has 49 EV charging stations with 118 ports and aims to add 48 new ports with nearly $12 million.
City staff will target three categories for the new charging hubs, including neighborhood, fast, and public fleet charging.
Neighborhood charging ports will be installed in areas around downtown Mesa.
The goal is to make stations available in areas where residents spend a lot of time shopping or dining, said Ian Linssen, a city assistant to the city manager.
Linssen is also aiming to install stations along the U.S. 60 in east Mesa to both serve residents on that side of the city and bring access to commuters traveling along the freeway.
The fast-charging ports could also serve residents living in Queen Creek or San Tan Valley, he said.
As part of its third category, the city seeks to place larger charging stalls in west and east Mesa to accommodate local small and medium-sized businesses that have a fleet of EVs.
The city is on the hook to contribute 20% of matching funds for the project. Lissen is looking to partner with private companies to help pay for that. After staff identify exactly where they plan to install the stations, the city could open applications to receive bids from the private sector.
Apart from traditional EV charging ports, Lissen said he wants to explore adding charging infrastructure for “micro-mobility” uses like electric scooters and bikes. As part of the design process, staff will also consider adding solar panels to the station’s canopies.
He said it’s going to provide shade but also generate some power. “It may not be enough power to actually power the charger itself … but it’s still providing power that eventually the electrons make its way there one way or there other.”
The city is required to earmark the funding by 2026 and spend the money by 2031, Lissen said.
Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.
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