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WSDOT awards NEVI and ZVIP funds to expand fast charging; agencies emphasize strategic placement
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Summary
WSDOT reported awarding roughly $12.16 million from NEVI Round 1 to add CCS ports across 14 communities and posted proposed ZVIP awards totaling about $20 million to add roughly 119 fast‑charging ports at 23 stations, emphasizing corridor spacing and geographic coverage.
WSDOT officials shared the results of two state‑level charging grant programs and explained how the agency prioritized corridor coverage over dispersing awards too thinly.
Donna Hines, with WSDOT’s Office of Innovative Partnerships, said NEVI Round 1 awarded about $12.16 million to expand EV fast‑charging in 14 communities and expects to deliver nearly 96 CCS ports across priority corridors (I‑90, US‑97, US‑195, and US‑395). She noted NEVI requests totaled nearly $39 million while the Round 1 cap was $25 million, so WSDOT allocated funds strategically and deferred some funding into Round 2 to optimize corridor coverage. "We expect to finalize our grant agreements next month and then begin project planning," Hines said.
Cara Simons, a WSDOT grant manager, described ZVIP’s recently posted proposed awards: roughly $20 million to support about 119 fast‑charging ports at 23 locations, with a station minimum of four 150 kW ports. She said ZVIP and NEVI are intended to complement one another and expand statewide coverage on interstates and state routes.
WSDOT emphasized corridor spacing and traveler needs rather than installing stations at every applicant location. "We had several proposals for stations along I‑90, and we really only needed X number of stations to have them every 50 miles," Tonya Buell said, summarizing the program's corridor‑coverage approach.
WSDOT and Commerce staff said agencies will move to contract negotiations and pre‑award milestones in coming weeks and plan a Round 2 solicitation for additional fast‑charging investments in the spring.
The council closed with staff offering contact details for follow‑up and the next EV Council meeting on May 20.
