Gov. Beshear Cuts Ribbon on 1st EV Charging Station in Southeastern U.S. Supported by Federal Program

3rd Request for Proposals announced to further expand commonwealth's EV network

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2024) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear joined U.S. Department of Energy Senior Advisor for State and Community Engagement Christopher Castro, State Highway Engineer James Ballinger and state and local officials at Circle K in Richmond to cut the ribbon on the first electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging station in Kentucky built with funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. The federally funded station is not only the first in the commonwealth to open, but the first in the Southeastern United States.

Gov. Beshear also announced Kentucky is seeking proposals to install up to 12 additional stations along Kentucky's interstates and parkways using NEVI funding. The ribbon-cutting and additional Request for Proposals (RFP) are both major steps in Team Kentucky's EV Charging Program, which anticipates adding up to 50 new fast-charging stations along Kentucky's interstates and parkways by the end of 2026.

"With the help of $70 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, today, Kentucky takes a major step forward in its progress toward a cleaner, Made-in-America transportation system with the opening of the state's first NEVI-funded electric vehicle charging station along the busy Interstate 75 corridor," said Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. "Kentucky is ahead of the curve as we expect to ramp up the number of federally funded chargers in the coming years, putting us on our way to President Biden's goal of 500,000 publicly available chargers by the end of the decade."

"Kentucky is leading the way in expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure options in the Southeast, joining pioneering neighbors like Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania to build out an affordable and reliable charging experience across four contiguous states and to enhance charging access nationwide," said Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk. "Thanks to public and private investments, the publicly available U.S. charging network has more than doubled since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, building a future where everyone can ride and drive electric."

Last month, the number of publicly available chargers across the U.S. has doubled since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, to more than 192,000. The NEVI program will help fill gaps in the national network where the private sector may not otherwise go.

Team Kentucky's EV Charging Program has approved 38 fast-charging stations from nine developers for $25 million in federal formula funds to date. In total, Kentucky is expected to receive nearly $70 million from the NEVI program that was established through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

"Kentucky is an EV leader, and it is Kentuckians and visitors to our commonwealth who will benefit from this network of connectivity," said Gov. Beshear. "We want to ensure that those who currently own electric vehicles and those who will own them in the future can easily travel our state from border to border and see all that Kentucky has to offer. I am proud to see Kentucky leading the charge with the first NEVI-funded fast charging station in the Southeastern U.S., and I'm excited to see this network of reliable charging stations take shape in our state."

The fast-charging stations approved to date are along the state's 11 interstates and eight parkways. Each station must have at least four charging ports of 150 kilowatt (kW) or more, be accessible to the public 24 hours a day/seven days a week and work with most EV models.

Circle K Ribbon Cutting
To celebrate today's grand opening, Circle K will offer two weeks of free charging, from Sept. 17 through Oct. 1, to EV owners who use the Circle K app at the Richmond location. It's one of two awarded sites that Circle K will own and operate in Kentucky. The site has four ABB E-Mobility 180kW fast chargers. Each can charge a typical EV in under 20 minutes. They currently feature standard Combined Charging System (CCs) 1 connectors. North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors are expected to be added later this year.

"We are grateful to Gov. Beshear, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the NEVI Formula Program for the support as we bring EV fast charging to our valued customers in Kentucky," said Circle K Executive Vice President, North America Operations and Global Commercial Optimization, Louise Warner. "Partnerships like this are helping drive our efforts to have EV charging at 200 of our sites across North America this year and support our commitment to be a preferred destination for convenience and mobility."

Circle K was awarded $536,600 through the EV Charging Program for the $1,103,335 project. Ground was broken on the new charging station in mid-February.

"This project sets the stage for the dozens of sites to follow that will offer reliable and convenient EV stations along major highways," said State Highway Engineer James Ballinger. "As more fast-charging stations open statewide, EV owners will have peace of mind knowing Kentucky offers a reliable and convenient charging network that supports long distance travel for our residents and visitors to the state."

From Sept. 17 through Oct. 1, drivers can enjoy free charging at the Richmond location via the Circle K Charge App, which can be found in the Apple App Store or Google Play. After downloading and opening the app, customers can search for and select the location, charger and port, connect the charging cable to the car then swipe on the app to initiate the charge. The app will request card payment information but no charge will be made during the promotion period.

Users who do not use the app but swipe their card at the chargers will be charged 1 cent during the two-week offer. For more information about EV charging at Circle K, customers can visit circlek.com/charge.

"The city of Richmond is excited to be the first of the 38 locations within the interconnected network of electric vehicle charging stations in Kentucky," said Richmond Mayor Robert Blythe. "The city anticipates welcoming those who use electric or hybrid vehicles to this truly ground-breaking technological opportunity. As drivers charge their vehicles, they may also choose to re-charge themselves in our community and experience all Richmond has to offer."

Third Request for Proposals to Expand Kentucky's EV Network
A third Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks to award funding for up to 12 additional charging stations to complete the long-distance charging network while meeting the federal requirement to have charging stations every 50 miles on all AFCs across the state. The RFP seeks bids from private developers to design, build, own, operate and maintain fast charging stations for five years after construction is complete. The RFP is available at EVCharging.ky.gov.

Responses to the RFP are due in mid-October. Candidates will be selected on a site-by-site basis to receive a portion of federal funding allocated to the state.

Kentucky's EV Network
The NEVI program launched in February 2022, providing $5 billion over five years to help states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico create a network of EV charging stations with a focus on building the infrastructure along interstate highway corridors.

Kentucky has awarded 38 sites to private developers. Selected developers are proceeding with site acquisition, design, construction, operations and maintenance of the charging stations and following requirements of the NEVI Formula Program. KYTC will not develop, own, operate or maintain the charging stations. Each developer must fund at least 20% of the construction and operational costs and is required to maintain the operation of the charging stations for at least five years.

The Kentucky EV Charging Program is a joint initiative of KYTC, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, the Public Service Commission and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Visit EVCharging.ky.gov for more information about the program.

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