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Climate and Environment

Riverside County Will Get More EV Charging Stations With Federal Funding Boost

Electric vehicles of varying makes sit and charge at a charging station during a cloud-covered day.
Electric vehicles are charging at a charging station in Monterey Park.
(
Frederic J. Brown
/
AFP via Getty Images
)

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Topline:

President Joe Biden announced $623 million to build electric vehicle charging stations across 22 states and Puerto Rico on Thursday.

Why it matters: Riverside County will receive $19.6 million to build out its EV infrastructure along the 10 Freeway between Los Angeles and Phoenix. Here is what the project will include:

  • 30 fast chargers for electric vehicles
  • 6 large chargers for long-haul freight trucks
  • Solar and electric battery storage systems
  • Rest areas

Where else is the money going? Another $56 million will go to the San Joaquin Valley, where the little oil-producing town Taft in Kern County and Merced County's Gustine plan to build a vast charging network along the 5 Freeway, one of the busiest freight corridors in the nation.

  • 90 fast chargers for EVs
  • 85 fast chargers for medium to heavy-duty EVs
  • 17 large chargers for long-haul freight trucks
  • 63 acres of solar panels
  • Electric battery storage systems

The backstory: Biden signed a $1-trillion infrastructure bill in 2021. From that, $7.5 billion is slated to build a half million chargers nationwide by 2030. The move is a part of Biden's goal of moving drivers away from vehicles powered by fossil fuels.

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