Milwaukee receives $15 million to build electric vehicle charging stations at 53 locations » Urban Milwaukee

Charging station for electric cars. (CC0 Public Domain)

With the support of a federal grant, the City of Milwaukee plans to install publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 53 locations with a total of 228 ports.

senator Tammy Baldwin announced on Friday the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grant of $14.9 million.

“This grant announcement is wonderful news for the people of Milwaukee. It is a big step forward in achieving our city’s climate and equity goals,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson in an announcement distributed by Baldwin’s office. “I am extremely grateful to Senator Baldwin for her work and leadership that led to this award. And I am equally grateful to the Biden-Harris administration for prioritizing investments to reduce our dependence on fuels with the greatest climate impacts.”

When adopting the Climate and Equity Plan in 2023, city officials said they would seek a grant to fund charging stations. In early 2023, the city also adopted an electric vehicle purchase plan for its own fleet.

President in August 2023 Joe Biden visited Milwaukee to tour Ingeteam, which assembles electric vehicle chargers at its Menomonee Valley plant. The company built the production line at the plant because it hoped the bipartisan infrastructure bill would provide business opportunities.

“The bipartisan infrastructure bill invests in Wisconsin’s future, creating countless good-paying jobs and improving the infrastructure families rely on to get to work and school. I’m proud to have enforced strong Buy America standards to ensure we use American workers and American products as we build out infrastructure to give people more options to get around our state,” Baldwin said. “I worked hard to provide these funds that will invest in zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, help improve the air our children breathe, and create more opportunities for Wisconsin workers to enter family-supporting careers that will only grow in the years to come.”

According to Baldwin’s press release, the city of Milwaukee has already selected locations for the chargers.

“In selecting sites, the City prioritized locations in areas that lack electric vehicle infrastructure, low- to moderate-income communities, and neighborhoods with a high proportion of multifamily housing. This project will support the City’s climate and equity goals by expanding the network in areas that currently lack public infrastructure or the ability to charge at home.”

Erick ShambargerDirector of the city’s Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO), told Urban Milwaukee via email that the city hopes to further improve the sites through greater public involvement.

According to an ECO EV Readiness Plan, libraries have been identified as desirable first phase (Level 1) locations for distribution, electrical infrastructure and parking. A total of 43 “Level 2” locations have been identified for additional stations. The chargers would be a mix of Level 2 and DC fast chargers.

A map of the existing, publicly accessible chargers shows that they are distributed around the city center.

In anticipation of a surge in the number of electric vehicle charging stations by public and private entities, the city updated its zoning code in 2021 to establish guidelines for placement.

The state of Wisconsin is also building a charging network for electric vehicles with private partners and government support. In May, Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced the first 53 locations that will receive federal funding to build charging stations. The state expects to receive $78 million over five years to fund the network as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program.

The city grant announced Friday is part of the FHWA’s discretionary grant program for charging and refueling infrastructure.

In July, the City Council approved a request from the Department of Public Works (DPW) to apply for a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to purchase 53 high-power chargers that can charge large electric vehicles, such as electric dump trucks. DPW, Finance and Administration Manager said Chuck Schumacher at a meeting of the Public Works Committee on July 10, intends to initially purchase eight electric dump trucks.

The city’s electric vehicle purchasing plan has so far resulted in the purchase of a $52,000 Ford Lightning pickup truck, according to a July DPW presentation. About eight vehicles in the DPW parking enforcement fleet are also electric, four small specialty vehicles and four Ford Mustang Mach-E sedans. During the meeting, DPW officials said charging infrastructure at city facilities is a limiting factor, as are contract timelines, as vehicles often take more than a year to arrive after being ordered. The only electric vehicle ordered is a plug-in hybrid minivan, which Schumacher said could be a function of the longer internal purchase period and the timing of the ordinance’s passage. Council members Robert Bauman And Milele A. Coggs said they would provide a future communications file with more information on the EV transition.

Shambarger said Friday the charging stations would be built through a competitive public-private partnership in accordance with the state’s recently revised laws.

ECO identified locations for potential electric vehicle charging stations. From the City of Milwaukee’s EV Readiness Plan.