OXANA MELIS via Unsplash A car is pictured while hooked up to an electric vehicle charger.

LOCK HAVEN — SEDA-COG and PennDOT are seeking public input on the expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to better serve community needs and improve accessibility to public charging stations across Pennsylvania.

Representatives from both agencies held a public outreach meeting Wednesday evening at the Clinton County Community Center in Lock Haven. The discussion focused on where electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are needed and where they could be developed using federal funding through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.

Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, the NEVI program provides $5 billion in federal funding to support the nationwide installation of EV charging stations along key travel corridors and in other strategic locations.

Pennsylvania has been allocated $171.5 million to be dispersed over the course of the five years of the program. Of that, $55-$60 million was used to fully build out the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors, with an additional $10-$15 million going toward connecting those corridors to support long-distance EV travel. The largest portion — $70-$80 million — is earmarked for the Community Charging Program, which was the primary focus of Wednesday’s meeting.

“The elephant in the room is where EV funding stands at both the federal and state levels,” said Don Kiel, senior principal transportation planner for SEDA-COG, who led Wednesday’s meeting. “There’s obviously a lot of uncertainty about whether these programs will continue under the new administration in Washington. The bottom line is that, for now, PennDOT has directed all MPOs and planning partners to move forward with the program unless told otherwise.”

Dorothy Holloway, a representative from PennDOT, added that the department is currently focused on completing EV infrastructure along the interstate system, as required.

“To go further than that, we need the federal government to say, ‘Okay, we accept your plan — you have full buildout,’ and then we can move on to community charging,” said Holloway.

In the meantime, PennDOT and SEDA-COG are continuing their planning efforts. SEDA-COG is expected to submit a list of recommended sites and location types to PennDOT for future charging stations by the end of July.

The SEDA-COG Metropolitan Planning Organization region is projected to receive up to $2.3 million for EV charging projects through the NEVI Community Charging Program, should it continue.

To determine where best to allocate this limited funding, SEDA-COG and PennDOT are soliciting feedback from local residents to pinpoint priority locations for future charging stations.

Community deployments will be completed in collaboration with planning partners, who are expected to work with local municipalities to ensure NEVI charging infrastructure meets community needs alongside federal and state funding requirements.

Where those charging stations are located will be determined by statewide survey results and a formula based on population that will help determine where funds for particular charging stations are placed. The goal is to ensure a relatively equal per capita investment in each county.

Potential sites for chargers include downtown on-street parking, public parking lots, multi-unit dwellings, dense residential neighborhoods, transit-oriented developments and transportation hubs, sports and event venues, tourism and entertainment destinations, shopping centers and retail locations, lodging facilities, college campuses, healthcare facilities, public buildings, grocery and convenience stores and other publicly accessible locations.

SEDA-COG and PennDOT project that Clinton County will receive between $250,000 and $350,000 through the Community Charging Program, should it continue.

This is in addition to the $810,000 already invested at the Flying J Travel Center in Mill Hall, which was installed in phase one of the project as part of an Alternative Fuel Corridor.

Community EV chargers will include either Level 2 or Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) units. Level 2 chargers can charge a battery electric vehicle (BEV) from empty to 80 percent in 4 to 10 hours, and a plug-in hybrid vehicle in one to two hours. DCFC equipment, by contrast, can charge a BEV to 80 percent in just 20 minutes to an hour.

Level 2 projects typically have a lower overall cost, but usually result in less charging capacity per dollar of investment than DCFC units.

For more on the project and to take the survey to propose locations for potential charging station sites, go to https//bit.ly/scevccp.

If you have questions or comments, email the PennDOT EV resource account, ra-pdevcorridors@pa.gov.