BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – During the Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Biden said that the country would build a network of 500,000 electric vehicle changing stations. Locally, the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition (ACFC) says wondering where to charge an electric vehicle is the main barrier to more people driving them.
The organization says that while most people charge their electric vehicle at home, charging elsewhere is about to become much easier.
“The state of Alabama has awarded about 40 grants in the last two years, and those projects are coming online and becoming operational,” says ACFC President Michael Staley. “And also, the federal government now has a new program and 80 million will be coming to Alabama over the next five years to put fast chargers along the interstates.”
But, Staley says the latest data shows more people are buying electric vehicles.
“We have experienced in the state of Alabama a more than 60% increase in the number of electric vehicles registered statewide,” he said. ” Those are predominantly in high population areas, but they are spread throughout the state. And, we’re also seeing a shift where Tesla used to be about half the electric vehicles, that number is starting to go down as the number and model availability rise.”
Staley says electric vehicle adoption will also have an economic impact on our state, given the billions of dollars that support 2,500 jobs related to building electric cars, batteries and the supply chain.
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