Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the City of Tualatin will receive $15 million in funding to bring publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure to the region through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program (CFI Program).
The grant aims to bring chargers to people with low- and moderate-incomes across Oregon’s North Willamette Valley. In doing so, it will help scale the nation’s charging network, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and address gaps in access. Chargers will primarily serve residents who do not currently have access to at-home charging with a focus on publicly accessible chargers at affordable multifamily housing properties and public facilities, such as libraries, parks, and community centers.
The funding will provide up to 500 Level 2 networked chargers to be installed around Northwest Oregon at approximately 125 unique sites across 17 different cities including Beaverton, Forest Grove, Gresham, Hillsboro, King City, Lake Oswego, McMinnville, Milwaukie, Newberg, Oregon City, Portland, Salem, Sherwood, Tigard, Tualatin, Woodburn, and Wood Village. Forth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the equitable advancement of clean transportation, worked to coordinate the multi-City application package for the grant.
Current charging gaps in this region mean that the people who can most benefit from the cost savings of driving electric are unable to do so because their neighborhoods lack infrastructure to support EV driving. By bringing charging infrastructure to low and moderate-income residents, whose limited access to charging often prevents them from driving electric; it helps avoid a regional “charging divide” that prevents historically underserved communities from accessing EVs.
“This project will make tremendous headway towards achieving our climate action goals in an equitable way. I am grateful to the City of Tualatin staff, Forth, PGE and the 16 other participating cities for their work collaborating on the grant. This was truly a regional effort.”
– Frank Bubenik, Mayor, Tualatin, Oregon.
“This program and funding will increase the accessibility and availability of charging infrastructure in neighborhoods and communities that havetraditionally been left behind in technological advancements. Equitable access to charging is an essential step in the broader adoption of electric transportation, particularly in communities with lower air quality and limited transportation options. Ensuring clean transportation is accessible and available to anyone and everyone is a cornerstone of Forth’s work.” – Jeff Allen, Executive Director, Forth.
Portland General Electric will use $200,000 in funding from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Fuels Program to provide a matching grant supporting education and outreach activities.
“PGE continues to collaborate with our partners to expand access to charging infrastructure across our service area, especially in communities that traditionally lack access to these emerging technologies. Our customers stand to benefit from this collaborative program investment as we work with partnering organizations to determine suitable sites for these chargers.” – Dain Nestel, Director, Customer Solutions
The CFI grant program was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work.
