The State of Maine just opened its first National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program-funded EV charging station – a Tesla Supercharger with CCS compatibility.
The federally funded Tesla Supercharger debuted yesterday at a shopping center in Rockland, southeast of Augusta, in Midcoast Maine. The Supercharger is part of Recharge Maine, the state’s initiative to develop a statewide network of public, high-speed EV chargers.
The new Rockland Supercharger has 250 kW Supercharger ports with CCS and NACS compatibility. Funds for five of the eight ports (that will be the CCS ports) come from Maine’s $18 million in NEVI funds.
“Maine is leading efforts to build a future where everyone can ride and drive electric, starting with plans to electrify the vital I-95 and US 1 corridors,” said Gabe Klein, director of the federal government’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.
The federal NEVI program allocates $5 billion over five years to help US states create a network of EV charging stations. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The NEVI program requires EV charging stations to be available every 50 miles and within one travel mile of the Alternative Fuel Corridor. EV charging stations must include at least four ports with connectors capable of simultaneously charging four EVs at 150 kilowatts (kW) each, with a total station power capacity of 600 kW or more.
The charging stations must have 24-hour public accessibility and provide amenities like restrooms, food and beverage, and shelter.
Tesla is cashing in on the Biden administration’s push for NEVI chargers. POLITICO’s E&E News reported on February 20, after conducting an exclusive public records analysis, that “Tesla is installing more charging plazas than any other company funded by Biden’s 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law… Tesla has won almost 13% of all EV charging awards from the law, earning it a total of more than $17 million in infrastructure grants.”
Read more: This map shows where North Carolina’s first NEVI EV charging stations will be
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