September 11, 2026

By Lane Kimble

Wisconsin’s small but growing fleet of electric vehicles will have several dozen new places to charge up, eventually contributing some funding to the transportation budget.

WisDOT and Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday the state is awarding its next round of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure charging grants to 42 proposed sites. There were 180 applications for this round of funding.

Of the winning sites, 20 are at gas stations and 14 are at hotels. Others include businesses and restaurants. Click HERE to read the full list at the bottom of the governor’s news release.

To date, Wisconsin has awarded $62 million in NEVI grants, helping build out the state’s fast electric charging network along the busiest freeways, highways, and corridors. The grants cover up to 80% of costs to build the charging stations.

A law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2025 dedicates 3 cents per kilowatthour sold through a public-facing charging station to the state’s transportation fund. Initial projections said that would generate about $3 million each of the law’s first few years but should grow as more people buy EVs.

The state says there are currently 43,200 registered EVs in Wisconsin.