All 50 states were required to submit a NEVI plan to the federal government by Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. West Virginia’s plan proposes locating electric vehicle charging stations somewhere along Interstate 64, 77 or 79 in the Charleston area; Interstate 64 near Huntington and somewhere near Lewisburg; Interstate 77 in the Beckley area and somewhere in Mercer County; Interstate 68 or 79 in the Morgantown area; Interstate 79 near Flatwoods and Weston; Interstate 70 near Wheeling; and Interstate 81 near Martinsburg.
The federal government asked each state to develop a NEVI plan in anticipation of an increase in the number of electric vehicles on American roads in coming years and the corresponding need for charging stations. West Virginia is expected to get close to $45.7 million over the next five years through the NEVI program to help develop charging stations and electric vehicle infrastructure.
Electric vehicles currently have a maximum range of about 300 miles. While West Virginia residents can use the charging stations that will be developed along the interstates through the plan, the charging stations are intended primarily for drivers traveling through West Virginia on their way to somewhere else.
Under the NEVI plan, charging stations should ideally be located about 50 miles apart on major travel routes.
In anticipation of the NEVI plan and the expected increase in the use of electric vehicles, the West Virginia Legislature passed House Bill 4797 in June 2022. The bill directed the WVDOT to develop the NEVI plan to “take a holistic approach, considering the future charging infrastructure needs of school systems, public transportation, counties and municipalities, and other public and private users.”
To see the West Virginia National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Deployment Plan, visit go.wv.gov/nevi.
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