The number of electric car charging outlets in New Jersey is set to double as hundreds will be added by the state this year using money paid by Volkswagen to settle allegations that it used trickery to skirt emissions tests.
The DEP will use $3.2 million to award grants for 827 charging outlets at 533 charging stations under Its Pay$ to Plug In electric vehicle charging grant program, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday.
The state currently has 786 charging outlets at 322 public locations.
Fifty five municipalities and counties, public parking lots and garages, apartment and condominium complexes, car-share services, hotels, private companies and nonprofit organizations will be receiving the charging stations, the DEP said.
They will also be installed at several NJ Transit train stations and at rest stops along the Atlantic City Expressway.
A full list of places where they will installed can be seen here.
The funding for the charging stations comes from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust, which is the result of federal actions against the automaker for installing “defeat” devices that allowed vehicles it manufactured to emit pollutants without being detected by emissions-testing programs across the country, the DEP said.
New Jersey is receiving $72.2 million in settlement funds and Gov. Phil Murphy has committed to using $10.8 million of that total for electric-vehicle charging stations, officials said.
Another $8 million will be used buy eight new electric transit buses that will be operated by Camden.
“We are pleased that this funding will help us pilot an electric bus program here in New Jersey to study in real-world scenarios the benefits and challenges of utilizing this alternate energy source,” NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett said in a release. “Part of the NJ TRANSIT goal of providing world-class transportation services is to do so through the lens of environmental responsibility. By investigating the possibilities of alternate energy sources, we can advance our commitment to sustaining clean air throughout the state.”
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