EV charging stations coming to I-65 & 157 interchange

Jun. 15—Electric vehicle owners will soon have a new and convenient place to get a quick jolt in Cullman, thanks to the awarding of a $59,000 grant that'll fund a pair of EV charging stations not far from Interstate 65.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) said this week that Cullman was among 18 sites designated to receive new charging stations statewide, as part of the agency's administration of $4.1 million in new EV infrastructure grants.

Cullman Electric Cooperative is negotiating the location for the new stations and handling the local award. CEC communications manager Brian Lacy said Friday that the two EV chargers to be installed near Exit 310 are Level 3 DC fast chargers, which can typically charge a vehicle in less than an hour.

According to the Cullman County Revenue Commissioner's office, there are only 84 full electric or plugin hybrid vehicles registered to individuals in Cullman County. Similarly, there are only a handful of public options for charging electric vehicles to date — a trend Lacy said will likely change in the years ahead, as EVs begin to displace combustion-powered vehicles in new auto sales.

The Co-op has a charging station at its Eva Road office; while the Cullman Power Board has installed a public station near Depot Park.

"I'd say we're probably underserved in terms of public charging infrastructure currently," said Lacy. "The way it stands now, I think that most of the EV owners around Cullman kind of know of the places they can go, whether it's a privately-operated station or one of the public ones, to charge their vehicles. But beyond those locations and the owners' own charging stations at home, there isn't a whole lot out there just yet."

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey approved the grants this week. Funds for the new charging stations — most of which are targeted along the I-59 and I-20 corridors — come from Alabama's class-action lawsuit settlement as part of the the Volkswagen Settlement Plan via the Alabama Legislature.

Approved in three parts by a U.S. District court in 2016 and 2017, the overall settlement arose from a deal struck with the EPA in the wake of the auto manufacturer's "violation of the federal Clean Air Act," according to an ADECA press release. In all, Alabama received more than a $25 million share from the settlement.