The city of Kings Mountain has been awarded a substantial federal grant as part of a program to build a network of electric vehicle charging stations across the nation.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced Thursday it had awarded a total of $623 million in grants to deploy chargers in communities along major travel corridors, while promoting American jobs and leadership in EV charging, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.
Kings Mountain received just over $800,000.
City Manager Jim Palenick said the city is poised for great growth and the addition of charging stations will play a role in the city’s transformation.
“2024 will probably be the busiest year in the history of Kings Mountain, and I don’t think that’s hyperbole,” he said.
Palenick said staff worked hard at submitting an application for the grant and were pleased to learn the city was one of the recipients.
“We felt we had put together a good presentation and met the ideals and terms of the grant program and obviously the federal government felt that as well,” he said.
With Kings Mountain located in close proximity to I-85 with several exits, the city is an ideal community for the addition of charging stations.
Palenick said the focus will be on Exit five of I-85 as there is a lot of development around the casino and entertainment district. A large portion of the funds will be used for fast charging stations at that site and more will be added downtown.
“We want to make sure we’re putting them in places for the easiest convenience of motorists on 85 but also draw them downtown while they’re in the area,” he said.
The city is also the location of a large lithium mine, and Albemarle is preparing to begin mining operations in the next few years.
“We’re working really closely with them and are excited how this connects to the overall EV economy,” Palenick said. He said now, when people buy electric cars and trucks, they will have the assurance that they can get them charged quickly and conveniently. He said Kings Mountain is at the forefront of providing that adequate infrastructure.
He said a number of charging stations will be located near city hall, future site of a parking deck and boutique hotel, and more at the entrance of the Gateway Trail on Battleground Avenue.
“If they have to spend time getting their car charged, they might as well have some great things to do,” Palenick said. “It’s really exciting stuff.”
He said as part of the grant, the city proposed adding fully self-contained charging stations that would be powered by solar panels with a battery backup.
“You have a charging station that is completely off the grid and 100% carbon neutral,” he said. “We presented some of those in the grant.”
Palenick said it’s early in the process and the city hasn’t yet received funds so they do not have a timetable yet.
“We’re going to go as quickly as we can,” he said.
Palenick said some people have been hesitant to buy electric due to “charging anxiety.”“
If you’re going to be around Kings Mountain, don’t worry about it,” he said.
With strategically located charging stations that are fast and located near trails, the downtown area and other amenities, he said those anxieties can be alleviated.
According to the press release from the Federal Highway Administration, the grants are a critical part of the Biden Administration’s goal of building out a convenient, affordable, reliable and made-in-America national network of EV chargers, including at least 500,000 publicly available chargers by 2030 ensuring that EVs are made in America with American workers.
The release said under Biden’s leadership, EV sales have more than quadrupled, the number of publicly available charging ports has grown by nearly 70% and more than 4 million EVs are now on the road.
These investments by the White House have spurred private companies to follow suit, the release said, with $155 billion pledged for EV and battery supply chains by private companies.
The grants were made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, a competitive funding program, and will fund 47 EV charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, including construction of approximately 7,500 EV charging ports, according to the release.
“America led the arrival of the automotive era, and now we have a chance to lead the world in the EV revolution—securing jobs, savings, and benefits for Americans in the process,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the press release. “This funding will help ensure that EV chargers are accessible, reliable and convenient for American drivers, while creating jobs in charger manufacturing, installation and maintenance for American workers.”
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