Kaine, Warner announce funding for new EV charging stations in Virginia

NORFOLK, Va. — Nearly $11 million from the federal government is being given to the Virginia Department of Energy to install 392 EV chargers across the state.

Virginia US Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner made the announcement Monday.

“I think it’s definitely going to create excitement throughout the state,” Joel Morales said.

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Morales is the new car sales manager at Banister Nissan in Norfolk.

He believes that more chargers can help encourage people to acquire an electric vehicle.

“Some of the hesitation that has come with selling electric cars has been the unknown of ‘Where can I find another charging station?'” explained Morales.

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Tourism is also a driving factor behind the push for more chargers.

According to a press release from Kaine and Warner, the new charging stations will be installed in “urban and rural tourism destinations.”

That could be important for places like Norfolk and Virginia Beach, where tourism is a big part of the economy.

As News 3 reported in September 2024, tourism spending reached $1.4 billion in Norfolk by 2022 and $33.3 billion for the state as a whole by 2022.

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Online you can find a lot of information about “EV tourism” – the idea that electric vehicle charging stations are a tourist attraction.

In fact, the National Park Service has one interactive map shows where all charging stations in national parks are located.

The city of Norfolk also has one map of charging stations in the city.

“I think most cars take about 30 to 45 minutes to charge. So if I was in charge of planning where I wanted to put them, they’d be anywhere someone wants to spend typically that amount of time. So supermarkets, maybe golf courses ,” he said.

In 2024, News 3 told you about a study the city of Norfolk conducted to try to get feedback from the public, in part about where charging stations should be.

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Warner and Kaine said the new charging stations will create healthier communities for future generations.

Exactly where the EV charging stations will be located was not yet announced on Monday.