Congressman Lloyd Doggett helped the city secure the funds through the 2021 Infrastructure Law, which set aside billions of dollars to help the country build a network of EV charging stations no more than 50 miles apart along our highways.
"For us to not only clean up our environment and global climate emissions there but to provide convenience so people all over Travis County will be able to get access to an electric charger whenever they need it and wherever they need it," Doggett said.
In a room full of technology of the past, manager of Austin Energy's Electric Vehicles and Emerging Technologies Cameron Freberg says the technology of tomorrow is already here.
"It's amazing to be kind of surrounded by... I want to say early, but kind of consistent technology for, like, producing and consuming energy for the last 100 plus years," Freberg said. "It still feels extremely futuristic, but it's here now, and it's been here for a little while."
We're talking about electric vehicle charging ports, a technology Austin Energy will now be able to bring to more of the city thanks to a $15 million grant from the federal government.
"Access to highway corridors, access to multi-family properties, things like that, where high concentrations of our population live, work and play," Freberg said.
E.V. Equity Development Manager Amy Atchley says the goal is to bring hundreds of charging stations to the city's most underserved communities.
"We're looking at being in the heart of the community, which is where the schools are," Atchley said. "And so we are ensuring that, you know, we are reaching the communities that need it the most."
But it's not just about equity. It's about sustainability too.
"You're running on battery and electricity, that's what you're running on, and so much of that is reducing pollutants in the air," city of Austin's Climate Program Manager Braden Latham-Jones said. "You're making the air cleaner."
Latham-Jones says these charging stations will be another step forward in the city's goals to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
"Electric vehicles are a critical component of addressing climate change in our city," Latham-Jones said. "Transportation is the single largest sector of greenhouse gas emissions in Austin."
The advocacy nonprofit Plug In America helped Congressman Doggett get the national infrastructure bill passed and says each community is now doing its part to take us into the future.
"It's definitely a big deal and a major undertaking, but this funding is helping to connect the entire country to support the great American EV road trip." Senior Police Director Ingrid Malmgren said.
A responsibility Austin Energy doesn't take lightly.
"The emerging technologies of, you know, batteries getting better, vehicle ranges going further, the vehicle is becoming more reliable," Freberg said. "And then, I think, most importantly, customers having more choice about what they can adopt."
Plug In America has an online map that shows where accessible charging ports are in your area, which also indicates where ports have been designated for the future.
