WILMINGTON – New Castle County announce the 100 EV Plus Plan to make over 100 electric vehicle charging plus available at county parks and libraries for the public on Monday.
In July 2023, New Castle County was awarded $403,310 funded in part by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which directed $500 million to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. The funds will be used in phase 1 to install 7 charges and 14 plugs at the Woodlawn Library and Delcastle Park.
The 100 EV Plugs Plan will use federal, state, and county funding to install 106 publicly available Level 2 and Level 3 charging plugs throughout New Castle County at public libraries and parks.
“We’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve done here in New Castle County to make our County greener, but we’ve got a long way to go,” New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with the federal delegation to help make electric vehicle ownership easier for Delawareans. Thank you to Senators Carper, Coons and Representative Blunt Rochester for their continued support in reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality in the First State.”
New Castle County currently has 8 public EV charging plugs between Brandywine Hundred Library, Bear Library and Appoquinimink Library, with 4 more coming online in the next few weeks at Southern Park.
“I’m so proud to see New Castle County building out electric vehicle charging infrastructure, which is good for our planet and our economy,” Senator Carper, chairman of the senate environment and public works committee said. “Funding to install these EV plugs throughout our county parks and at our libraries comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — the single largest investment in transportation electrification in our nation’s history. These investments are going to be critical in the years ahead as more and more Delawareans make the shift to electric vehicles.”
“I applaud Matt Meyer’s and County Council’s decision to invest in future-forward transportation infrastructure,” Senator Chris Coons said. “I’ve known since my own days as New Castle County Executive that the EECBG program, which reduces government operating costs for residential services, creates jobs, lowers taxes, reduces emissions, and improves communities.”
“In order for us to combat the climate crisis and reduce our carbon footprint, we have to invest in energy-saving initiatives such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” Representative Blunt Rochester said. “The Biden Administration has made it a priority through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation I proudly voted for, to fund electric vehicle charging across the country. Through this federal grant, New Castle County will be able to continue building out its electric vehicle charging infrastructure so that we can do right by the environment, improve public health, and enhance our quality of life.”
The 100 EV Plugs Plan will install EV chargers at the following county libraries and parks:
- Bear Library
- Brandywine Hundred Library
- Claymont Library
- Hockessin Library
- Kirkwood Library
- Route 9 Library
- Woodlawn Library
- Appoquinimink Library
- Newark Library
- Delcastle Park
- Glasgow Park
- Banning Park
- Southern Park
- Rockwood Park
- Carousel Park
