Reducing emissions through electrification
The transportation sector accounts for 49% of total emissions in Maine and is key to reducing overall state emissions. Electrification was identified in the State’s climate action plan as the #1 strategy for transportation emissions reduction.
MaineDOT has been working with Efficiency Maine Trust (EMT) to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the State since the VW settlement funds became available in 2018. Between 2018 and 2022, MaineDOT and EMT administered over $5 million in funds to install more than 28 DC fast charger plugs and more than 200 Level 2 plugs across the State. The State has received $8 million for public EV charging infrastructure through the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan (MJRP), $19 million in funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to build a national network of EV chargers through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and the State will also compete for additional funding through the BIL’s NEVI Discretionary Program.
In March 2023, FHWA opened the first round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure discretionary grant program (CFI Program). The CFI Program is a 5-year, $2.5 billion competitive grant program created by the BIL to strategically deploy publicly accessible EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure on public roads or other publicly accessible locations, as well as along designated alternative fuel corridors. MaineDOT is planning to submit a single statewide grant application to the CFI program to support Recharge Maine, the statewide initiative to expand public level 2 and DC fast chargers in Maine.
MaineDOT and EMT created a CFI Fact Sheet (PDF) to share more information on the Recharge Maine application and hosted a webinar on April 11th, 2023 to provide more information about what will be included in the Recharge Maine grant application and how this funding can benefit your community. If you missed the webinar, you can still view the content using the webinar slides or watch the webinar recording.
Additionally, in an effort to better inform the state’s grant application, MaineDOT and EMT are seeking information from interested host sites, vendors of EV charging equipment and services, and local governments and community organizations on the placement of the public level 2 and DC fast chargers. Please review and respond to the RFI with any relevant information.
MaineDOT worked with Efficiency Maine Trust and other state agencies to develop a Plan for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment (PEVID) describing how the NEVI funds would be used to expand the electric vehicle charging network across the state. This plan was approved for implementation by the FHWA in September 2022.
As described in Maine’s PEVID, Maine is will be utilizing both ARPA funds and NEVI formula funds concurrently. The below table depicts the various expansion initiatives, charger type, target area or route, and the locations.
Initiative Name |
Charger Type |
Route |
Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Phase 4 DC Fast Charging |
DCFC |
US-1,SR9, SR11 |
AroostookCounty (north of the interstate) and Washington County (eastern and coastalMaine) |
Rural Level 2 Charging |
L2 |
Multiple |
Ruraltowns |
Community charging |
DCFCand L2 |
Multiple |
MultiUnit Dwellings (MUD) and other on-street and lot parking |
Other priority corridors anddestination charging |
DCFC |
Multiple |
Otherpriority corridors and destinations that are not on Alternative FuelCorridors (AFC) |
NationalEV Infrastructure (NEVI) Program |
DCFC |
I-95 |
Bangor(high traffic) |
DCFC |
I-95 |
Bangorto Houlton (3 low traffic sites) |
|
DCFC |
SR27,I-95 |
Augusta |
|
DCFC |
US-1 |
Rockland(high traffic site) |
|
DCFC |
US-1 |
Portlandto Ellsworth (4-5 high traffic sites) |
Open funding opportunities are available on EMT’s website.
- MaineDOT has supported an e-bike bikeshare program in Portland since late summer 2022, and, in partnership with Bicycle Coalition of Maine, is developing a statewide library bike and e-bike bikeshare pilot program.
- MaineDOT is pursing several other e-bike initiatives with other state agencies. Additional information is forthcoming.
MaineDOT provided financial support for the first four battery electric buses and associated charging infrastructure for Greater Portland Metro and Biddeford-Saco-OOB Transit. The buses are now in operation and the charging infrastructure has been installed.
In addition, MaineDOT hired a consultant (HATCH LTK) to develop a best practices summary for transit vehicle electrification and, in collaboration with eight transit providers, complete individual fleet transition analyses and develop plans for transitioning select transit bus fleets to electric or hybrid vehicles. Details such as bus replacement schedules and recommended facility upgrades will position Maine’s transit agencies for discretionary grant funding and ultimately more successful adoption of battery electric buses. The plans for each transit agency are available at the links below. MaineDOT plans to expand these efforts to include several rural transit agencies.
MaineDOT leases an electric vehicle for staff in the headquarters office to use for business travel, which offers staff the opportunity to test drive an electric vehicle and learn to utilize the charging equipment. Similarly, MaineDOT has installed electric vehicle charging equipment at all regional offices and at several camps across the state. The use of electric vehicles and installation of the charging equipment works towards reducing emissions in support of the state climate action plan, as well as the State’s lead by example efforts.
