Texas may soon see hundreds of electric car charging stations across the state due to a state plan recently approved by the Federal Highway Administration on Tuesday.
The state of Texas will use up to $408 million of federal taxpayer funds from the infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden last year to install these charging stations, according to the Texas Tribune.
The $408 million is the most any state has spent on building charging stations, with California coming in second with more than $384 million.
Every state, including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, will build electric vehicle charging stations.
The plan is for more than 50 stations to be built in the first year along Texas interstate highways between major cities such as Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Other proposed stations include areas such as the Rio Grande Valley and Panhandle.
The state Department of Transportation intends to expand these charge stations into rural areas within the next two to five years, with at least one electric vehicle charger in each of the 254 counties of Texas.
Rep. Colin Allred suggested it was a “huge step forward” in a statement.
But Gov. Greg Abbot has warned against state agencies accepting any funds from federal climate programs prior to the announcement because the funds could “hinder or needlessly constrain the state.” He further cautioned that accepting those funds could cause the state to be forced to implement policies that could directly contradict an existing state policy or law.
Questions remain, however, over the effectiveness and utility of electric vehicles. Studies have suggested that electric cars might be far from the “zero emission” boon proponents have claimed. Concerns remain about how electric-powered automobiles will fair in natural disasters that cause widespread outages.