There are online trolls, haters, and complainers who will try to dismiss Kentucky’s electric vehicle progress by claiming it’s only ten charging stations. However, Kentucky is hanging in there and developing its public charging infrastructure — just slowly. The red states are typically the EV laggards, and there are many reasons for this fact. Chief among them is state governments that do not support electric vehicle adoption at the policy level and sometimes also resist this technology. Kentucky’s governor, though, is open-minded about EVs. “Last fall, Kentucky resecured $17.8 million in previously appropriated funds to build out EV charging stations after the Governor joined a lawsuit challenging the federal government over its unlawful decision to freeze funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.” He spoke recently about the new EV charging station in his home state. “Team Kentucky knows that EVs are no longer the technology of the future, they’re here now. Families and businesses shouldn’t have to travel our state and worry about where their next charge is coming from, and with our steadily expanding charging network, they won’t have to.” The new charging hub has 4 charging ports that can charge up to 400 kW; it is located at 4455 Russellville Rd. off of Interstate 165 at Exit 5. There is a Casey’s convenience store onsite as well. The ten EV charging sites are near interstates and parkways and are open 7 days a week at all times. “Reaching a milestone of 10 sites is a big step to ease range anxiety for EV drivers who live in Kentucky and those who are visiting our state. Fast charging stations statewide will make a real difference for Kentuckians and those visiting the commonwealth,” said KYTC Secretary Rebecca Goodman. The installation of every new charging hub matters, especially in charging deserts, because there is less distance between chargers. When there are public EV chargers every 30 miles or so, there will be much less or no “range anxiety.” Installing new public chargers also means jobs for local people who work hard to make them available and operational. Making fast chargers available near common travel corridors helps long-distance EV drivers to be able to charge in 35 minutes or fewer. Kentucky may have about 25,000 fully electric battery vehicles, which is one of the lowest totals among US states. Growing public charging infrastructure can support greater EV adoption.
