Work on tap at electric-vehicle charging stations in Oregon

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The Oregon Department of Transportation will receive $10 million from a federal grant program to pay for electric-vehicle infrastructure repairs and upgrades in the public realm.

Eligible projects will involve either repairs of broken EV charging ports or installation of additional Level 2 or DC fast-charging ports at existing stations.

ODOT’s Climate Office will oversee distribution of the grant funds in Oregon, the agency stated in a press release. Officials are still determining the most efficient way to engage the private sector and distribute funds.

The charging stations are owned by private companies, so ODOT will work with them to coordinate repairs and upgrades. Per federal rules, private companies are required to contribute 20 percent matching funds to receive grant money.

ODOT expects projects to start by the end of this year.

The grant is coming from the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program, which is overseen by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). ODOT was among 24 grant recipients in 20 states.

The FHWA has identified 135 public EV charging stations in Oregon eligible for repairs or upgrades using grant funds. ODOT created an online map of those stations; most are either in the Portland-metro area or near Interstate 5.

ODOT does not have a final list of stations yet but plans to share more information later this year. People can sign up for email updates about ODOT’s planned work at EV charging stations.

As of January 2024, Oregon has about 2,900 public EV charging ports (Level 2 and DC fast-chargers) among 1,160 stations.