The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will soon begin laying out infrastructure for electric vehicles by building charging stations across the state. A draft of its plan was released earlier this month, proposing the installation of more than 200 electric vehicle charging stations over the next five years.
The first charging stations will run along major corridors and interstate highways at 50-mile intervals and will reside no more than a mile from interstate exits or highway intersections. The plan’s ultimate aim is to have charging stations installed on the majority of non-business interstate routes.
Rural parts of the state will not be left out, per Governor Greg Abbott’s instruction, though the charging stations might be spaced out at 70-mile intervals.
Each charging station will be capable of charging four vehicles simultaneously with high-powered ports that “can recharge a vehicle from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes,” according to the TxDOT plan.
The plan is based on estimations made by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the state’s power grid. ERCOT estimates as many as 1 million electric vehicles will be on Texas roads by 2031.
While the current number of electric vehicles registered in Texas stands at roughly 129,000 as of May, the total number has nearly tripled since 2020. Whether ERCOT’s projections prove correct, TxDOT says it will adjust its plans as necessary.
The project will be funded primarily by allocated federal taxpayer dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, to the tune of $317.32 million for installation and $88.92 million for operations and maintenance.
TxDOT will devise “a program where third parties fund the non–federal share” of the necessary budget, per its plan.
A finalized plan must be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration by August 1 to qualify for the federal taxpayer dollars.
Texas residents can offer their opinions about this particular draft of the plan through Wednesday, June 22, by emailing [email protected].