In Oregon, a new program is being implemented called the Oregon Community Charging Rebate Program. This program is run through the Oregon department of Transportation and is aiming at providing EV charging availability to rural and disadvantaged communities throughout the state. Applicants can be eligible for upwards of $5,500 or 75% of costs for EV charging stations being installed in public areas like restaurants or shopping districts. Multi-family developments are also able to qualify for the grants and receive a set amount of funds per EV charging station port installed.

 

Some people are at a disadvantage when it comes to EV charging, and it makes people less likely to switch to electric vehicles when they don’t have EV charging availability where they live or work. Lower income communities tend to be charging deserts, meaning the number of EV charging stations in their neighborhoods are scarce to none. People living in apartment complexes or condominiums also don’t have the luxury of having an EV charging station where they live like owners of a single-family dwelling.

 

Rural convenience stores have been working on installing EV charging stations at their locations. Some have hit roadblocks on their EV charging efforts when it comes to having the funds and electricity capacity to handle the infrastructure being installed. Other chain stores are worried that the cost of electric utilities will outweigh the profits from the charging stations themselves. Some of these issues are solved with various grants or rebates that stores can get from their local government, private grants, and utility companies.

 

Click here to read the full article, originally published April 26, 2023, by Gov Tech.com