NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia’s transition to electric vehicles continues as the number of EV drivers has doubled in just a two-year span.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there were more than 25,000 EVs registered in Virginia in 2021. Today, there are approximately 56,000 registered EVs.
However, the growing fleet of EVs on the road doesn’t mean Virginia’s EV infrastructure has been able to keep up.
Under the recently passed Clean Cars law, about 35% of new vehicles sold in the state need to be fully electric or have zero emissions by 2026.
To make the transition easier on consumers financially, Dominion Energy began offering an incentive program to EV owners and businesses that makes it cheaper to install charging stations at their homes and places of work.
However, according to a September Dominion report, no one has signed up to take advantage of the Charging Tariffs program.
To give some perspective on cost: electric vehicle chargers come in different levels depending on their speed. Even a level one charger could cost up to $900, with faster, higher-level options ranging from $30,000 to $100,000. These prices don’t include installation costs.
In the meantime, Virginia continues to build its public charging station infrastructure with $100 million from the federal government.
In an update over the summer, VDOT announced the state will build eight alternative fuel corridors on Virginia interstates within the next five years.
VDOT also launched an online map of charging stations located across the state.
But for now, Dominion Energy will continue beefing up outreach efforts to make sure people know the program is there.