FILE - The Musser family’s hybrid vehicle, being charged at the home charging station, Dec. 1, 2022.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Oregon, Washington, and California were awarded $102 million in federal funds last week to install electric charging and hydrogen fueling stations for trucks along Interstate 5.
This helps the three western states to further their goals to reduce emissions along the well-traveled corridor.
Matt Noble, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said the agency is hoping to encourage more trucking companies to make the switch to zero-emission vehicles.
“It’ll give them more confidence that if they do invest in this new technology that they’ll have somewhere to either charge it or refuel it along their routes on Interstate 5,” Noble told KLCC.
Related: Oregon to expand the state’s network of EV fast chargers
Details on the timing of the project and how the money will be distributed are still to come.
As part of this federal grant package, the cities of Albany and Tualatin also received funds for public EV charging stations.
Noble said they’re waiting for more details about the funding and how much will come to Oregon.
More information is available on this online PDF from the Federal Highway Administration. California’s award for the “West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project” is the one shared with Oregon and Washington.
The grant funding comes from the federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant program under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
