Hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) sales in the U.S. nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021 (1), and for the first 6 months of 2022, EVs accounted for 5% of total new car sales nationwide (2). Analysts don’t expect EV sales to slow down any time soon, especially as car manufacturers continue to prioritize electric transportation (GM pledged to be all-electric by 2035, Ford by 2030) (3).

The great Dairy State is following suit. The use of EVs in Wisconsin has increased by an average of 9% each year since 2016, and as of 2021, there were 7,521 registered electric vehicles statewide (4).

It’s safe to say that EVs are here to stay, and as their presence in your community increases, so will the demand for reliable charging infrastructure.

Learn how local communities are preparing for EV growth and how the State of Wisconsin plans to expand EV infrastructure using new, unprecedented federal funding.

The Benefits of charging stations in Your Community

Historically, the majority of EV charging stations in the state of Wisconsin have been provided by private businesses and landowners in areas with high-earning potential.

However, as EVs continue to grow in popularity, there’s been an increase in the number of communities choosing to install charging stations on municipal properties and/or offering incentives for neighborhood businesses to provide charging stations in order to promote local economic development and tourism.

Tesla Superchargers Eau Claire, WI 2019 (City of Eau Claire)

Local Efforts to Improve EV Infrastructure

The City of Eau Claire created its own EV Roadmap to support a more sustainable community. The City plans to have EVs account for 10% of all locally registered vehicles by 2030 and 160 public and private charging sites to effectively accommodate EV drivers.
St. Croix County recently secured a tourism grant from the St. Croix Economic Development Corporation for three new charging stations. The chargers will be strategically placed in order to encourage visits from EV owners.
The City of Stevens Point is considering a new City policy that would require developers that receive taxpayer funds to install electric car charging stations in their parking lots. The number of required charging stations would depend on the number of parking spots in the development.

funding ev infrastructure

The Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program includes $7.5 billion to build out a national network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030 (5).

As part of the NEVI program, the state of Wisconsin will receive roughly $79M over the next 5 years to expand electric vehicle charging stations. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) recently released a draft of the Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure plan (WEVI), which outlines how they plan to use the funds.

The Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan

The WEVI vision is to “Develop an interconnected electric vehicle charging network that facilitates the safe movement of people and goods throughout Wisconsin.”

The goals of the program are to:

Establish a network of publicly accessible charging stations on Wisconsin’s Interstates, EV alternative fuel corridors (AFCs), and regional routes of significance.
Continue stakeholder collaboration to inform planning, deployments, program evaluation, and annual plan updates.
Integrate EV charging infrastructure across the state including urban, rural, and suburban areas and historically underserved communities.
Leverage funding and partnerships to adapt the state's transportation infrastructure to facilitate electrified transportation.

How To Access WEVI Funds

The state does not plan to own or operate any of the WEVI-funded charging stations. Instead, WisDOT will seek both private and public partnerships to install and operate EV fast charger systems along designated corridors.

The State must submit its final plan to the Federal Government by August 1st. We will provide updates as more information is made available.