Maryland to Invest $1M in EV-Charging Stations, Truck-Stop Electrification Systems

Maryland will invest about $1 million in electric-vehicle charging networks and truck-stop electrification systems, marking the continued efforts of the 19th-most populous state to broaden usage of hybrid-electric and battery-electric vehicles.
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The incredibly trippy Maryland state flag.
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The Maryland Energy Administration and Maryland Clean Cities Coalition today launched the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which will help fund efforts by state and local governments as well as private companies and nonprofits to expand an EV-charging infrastructure and support other facilities.

Along with a proposed tax credit of as much as $2,000 for Maryland residents who purchase EVs, Governor Martin O'Malley is looking to expand the state's base of EV users as cars such as the plug-in Chevrolet Volt hybrid and Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle become available later this year.

"Today's announcement is part of our long-term commitment to lead by example in energy advancements and create cleaner, less expensive, and more fuel efficient transportation options for our citizens," O'Malley said in a statement today.

Last August, the state received $5.9 million in federal funding for purchases of hybrid-electric trucks as part of the $300 million earmarked within the U.S. Transportation Department's Clean Cities program.

That announcement followed the city of Baltimore's unveiling of the first of 21 new gas-electric hybrid buses set to go into service last fall. The buses, built by Charlotte, N.C.-based DesignLine USA, will reportedly boost fuel efficiency by 40 percent relative to a comparable conventionally powered bus while cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as 70 percent.

Additionally, last February, the Maryland Transit Administration deployed its first diesel-hybrid electric bus after O'Malley said the MTA would use only diesel-hybrids to replace older buses. The authority will have as many as 600 hybrid-electric buses by 2014, the governor's office said last year.

Danny King, Contributor