Delaware's Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) have teamed up to produce a plan known as "Charging Forward," which presents how to create an electric vehicle (EV) charging network throughout Delaware.
As of July 2024, the state has just over 600 commercial and rapid charging stations, but over 12,500 more ports are needed by 2032 to meet future demand.
Additionally, the state is expected to have nearly 60,000 EVs on the road by 2027 and 205,000 EVs on the road by 2032.
With $17.5 million in federal funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI), $4 million from the state and $1.4 million in Volkswagen mitigation settlement funds, the state is now deciding how to spend those dollars accordingly.
Federal funding will first be used to install charging stations at least every 50 miles along I-95 and Routes 1, 13 and 113 — DelDOT has accepted bids for this project and contracts are currently being finalized.
Utilizing the Volkswagen settlement funds is also underway. That funding is headed toward 14 new charging stations with 32 ports — two of them have opened up in Milford.
DelDOT is recommending prioritizing Tier 3 and Tier 4 areas of the state when spending the remainder of the funds, which were determined based on existing charger locations, where early EV adopters live and high population density.
“We want to focus on those areas and those zip codes to advance the equity and support the residents with the largest barriers to EV adoption,” said DelDOT Director of Transportation Resilience & Sustainability Stephanie Johnson.
She explains the majority of those focus areas are in New Castle County, which alone needs over 6,500 ports by 2032 to meet future demand.
Johnson says the plan's key strategies include coordinating with utility companies to streamline charging installations in an equitable fashion.
“Especially in the high priority zip codes, particularly focused on the disadvantaged communities and those high multifamily areas where, again, they may not have access to garages or on-street charging," she said.
While the plan's short-term recommendations for the next 0-3 years includes focusing on Tier 3 and Tier 4 areas, the next steps are allocating funds to Tier 2 and Tier 1 areas over the next 3-5 years, which largely fall in Kent and Sussex Counties.
Five years and beyond, the Charging Forward plan is encouraging state partners to re-assess where charging gaps exist and where state intervention is needed.
The plan arrives following the announcement last year that Delaware is adopting the Advanced Clean Car II program, which requires 82% of new cars and trucks sent to Delaware for sale to be zero-emission vehicles by 2032.
That mandate is currently facing legal action from GOP leaders, which is expected to receive a trial in late 2025.
The agencies are currently accepting public comment on the plan at DelDOT’s website.
