Leaders say Alabama electric vehicle infrastructure is growing

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - More and more Americans are buying electric vehicles and now Alabama is expanding the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure.

Michael Staley is president of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.

“Now, you have, basically, an EV of all shapes and sizes, from a large pickup truck to a small sedan,” said Staley.

Most people charge their electric vehicles at home, but as electric vehicles become more common, the state of Alabama and President Joe Biden want to make on-the-go charging easier. In his State of the Union address last week, Biden promised that the country would build half a million EV charging stations — and Alabama is already allocating the money to do so.

“A fast-charging station is going to be somewhere in the range of $150,000-$200,000, you know, per site, per charging device,” said Staley.

Governor Kay Ivey awarded $2.45 million at the end of last year for new charging stations along highways.

Expensive but worth it, according to Staley. Over the last year, there was a 60% increase in registered electric vehicles in Alabama.

“People are adopting EVs at probably a faster rate than we have new EV chargers,” he said.

Alabama is already involved in the EV production industry. Most recently, the governor and other state leaders broke ground on a plant in Kellyton, where they will produce materials for EV batteries.

If you bought an electric vehicle in 2023, you may be eligible for a clean vehicle tax credit of up to $7,500.

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