In the United States, a business coalition is advocating for Mississippi to become more environmentally friendly by promoting electric vehicle (EV) charging. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program has authorized the federal government to distribute $5 billion to states to provide grant funding for businesses that want to offer EV charging services. However, despite the approval of Mississippi’s NEVI plan, the state has not yet released an application for EV charging operators to access millions of dollars in funding.
Mississippi is set to receive $50.5 million over five years through the NEVI program, but most of these funds in other states have been utilized by private enterprises, enabling small businesses and national chains to offer EV charging services to customers. This slow deployment of the NEVI program in Mississippi is detrimental not only to businesses but also impacts consumers financially.
The Charge Ahead Partnership executive director, Jay Smith, sees this as a significant missed opportunity for the state. He believes that gas stations and travel plazas along Mississippi’s interstates are ideal locations for EV chargers if businesses could access grant funding to help cover the initial costs. He urges the state to expedite the process of opening up an application so that NEVI can be implemented in Mississippi for the benefit of all.
Gas stations and travel plazas along Mississippi’s interstates are ideal locations for EV chargers if businesses could access grant funding to help cover the initial costs. The Charge Ahead Partnership believes that this would be a significant missed opportunity for the state and would benefit both businesses and consumers financially.