36 new electric vehicle charging stations coming to Indiana

A statewide electric vehicle initiative announced locations for 36 new EV charging stations in Indiana this week.

Half of them will be at places like gas stations and shopping centers along major highways and can charge in as little as 20 minutes. The other half can take hours. Those will be at places like city buildings, parks, and attractions like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Children's Museum.

Ryan Lisek is the program director for the nonprofit Drive Clean Indiana. He said the Go EV Indiana initiative focused on closing the gap in the state's fast charging network.

"To make sure that electric vehicle drivers are going to have a place to charge as close as 50 miles in between one charging port to another," Lisek said.

He said after the projects are complete, the only major gap in Indiana's fast charging network will be along Highway 41 — which runs from northwest Indiana to Evansville.
 

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Though it's slowed, Lisek said electric vehicle adoption is still on the rise and many manufacturers are still making EVs.

"We also want to keep those EVs in the state. So that's really the big emphasis. Is not to lose traction when outside issues are going on," he said.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency in May, more than 20 percent of new cars sold worldwide were electric. In the U.S., EVs only make up about six percent of new car sales.

Kelly Blue Book reports that American carmakers may have to continue ramping up EV production if they want to stay competitive globally.

Lisek said he expects the chargers will be running by the end of next year.
 

Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or on Signal at IPBenvironment.01. Follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.