In the past month, the State of Utah has approved three measures, which will collectively invest more than $10 million in EV charging infrastructure across the state. Utah’s legislature approved two funding mechanisms to support EVs during their 2019 session: $2 million was allocated to install EV chargers at state-owned facilities; and $5 million was approved to incentivize private businesses and government entities to install EV charging equipment on their property. These measures will leverage additional private finance to build stations.
On April 1, 2019, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality also awarded 18 government entities a total of $3.8 million through the Volkswagen Clean Diesel Settlement’s Environmental Mitigation Trust. These awards will be used by cities, counties, universities, utilities, and parks to install Electric Vehicle charging equipment on their property. Projects were selected based on the most cost-effective reductions to nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, and DEQ Executive Director Alan Matheson noted this is a unique “opportunity to invest in emerging vehicle technologies at no cost to tax payers while improving air quality.”
These funding announcements support Utah’s goal of developing widespread EV charging infrastructure throughout the state and in their region. With the leadership of the Governor’s Office of Energy Development, Utah and seven other states in the Intermountain West are signatories of the Regional Electric Vehicle Plan for the West Memorandum of Understanding (REV West MOU), and are working together to enable a seamless driving experience through the region’s major highway corridors, ensure a reliable charging experience, reduce range anxiety, and promote the use of EVs throughout the region.
“The Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development is on the forefront of accelerating policies and partnerships that promote innovative transportation outcomes across the West,” said Laura Nelson, the Utah Governor’s energy advisor and Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Development. “By driving electric vehicle investment locally and regionally, Utah is modernizing its historical legacy as the ‘Crossroads of the West’ by providing a new interconnected network of travel opportunities across urban hubs and unrivaled recreation destinations throughout this majestic American landscape."