Dive Brief:
- New Hampshire will use $4.6 million, or about 15% of its share of the Volkswagen emissions settlement, to develop electric vehicle (EV) charging stations around the state, according to a Beneficiary Mitigation Plan released last week.
- Funds will be used to acquire, install, operate and maintain vehicle supply equipment, and the state will begin accepting applications next month, The Concord Monitor reports. Other states, including Ohio and Massachusetts, have also considered using some of those funds to boost their EV industries.
- In total, New Hampshire will receive almost $31 million from the $15 billion VW settlement — an agreement between the automaker and the U.S. government after VW was exposed for rigging diesel vehicles to pass emissions tests.
Dive Insight:
The Volkswagen emissions scandal has turned into a miniature boon for EV charging infrastructure, as several states are directing some of the funds toward electrifying transportation.
New Hampshire's plan for the funds looks to regional benefits for the state, arguing that investments in EV infrastructure offer a "unique opportunity to invest in the future and ensure New Hampshire remains a destination for travelers from across the Northeast and Canada."
The New Hampshire plan specifies that the state will consider investments and programs in neighboring states and provinces, as well as investments made by Electrify America, the group administering the Volkswagen settlement funding.
"Collaboration with in-state stakeholders in determining where, how and when to invest is prudent," the plan says, adding that state investments should seek to "leverage private sector funding and must occur in a manner that will allow for broad access to users and incorporation of technological advances in EV charging infrastructure."
New Hampshire is working with states in the region to develop EV infrastructure, and some of those other efforts are being funded by the VW settlement as well. Massachusetts plans to use $23.5 million on electric vehicle infrastructure including $11 million for the purchase electric buses and $5 million for the expansion of EV charging infrastructure.
According to EV booster Plug In America, there were only about 1,400 plug-in EVs on New Hampshire roads last year.
