SMUD Gets $11.6 Million Federal Funding to Install EV Charging Stations Across Sacramento
California will get a grant of 122 million dollars from the United States Department of Energy to be used for the construction of infrastructure and charging stations for electric vehicles.
A portion of the grant money is going to be distributed to the Sacramento region. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) was granted a grant of $11.6 million to install a total of ninety charging units in cities of Elk Grove and Sacramento.
Over the next five years, the funding will be used to take care of both the infrastructure and the maintenance of the facility. There will be five stations installed in Elk Grove, and four stations will be installed in Sacramento. The locations are still being determined. Costs associated with installation will vary depending on the item.
Cost is dependent on a wide variety of parameters, including location and access to electricity, according to Gil Tal, who is the director of electric vehicle research at UC Davis.
“Because it’s like asking how much a house costs or how much a shirt costs,” he stated.
In accordance with the infrastructure that is being established for this project, Tal stated that the grant money is appropriate.
“The other thing we see happening more and more in the Sacramento region is that EVs used to be kind of rich people toys, they’re not anymore,” Tal stated.
A growing number of people are looking for chargers across the board. Additionally, five of the stations will be located in communities with low incomes.
“We’re working a lot with SMUD on that equity issue. How do we make sure that, regardless of income, everybody can take advantage of electric vehicles and the reduced pollution they create?” Whitlock stated.
Many people in California are making the conversion to electric vehicles as the cost of these vehicles continues to decrease.
“The State of California estimates there will be about 7.5 million EVs needing to be plugged in by 2030, and that means we need 1.2 million chargers statewide,” Carrie Whitlock, Elk Grove’s strategic planning and innovation program manager stated. “Right now, there’s about 100,000 chargers statewide, so we really need to ramp up.”
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Before they can get on the road, however, there are some residents who are spending a lot of time waiting around for a charger to become available.
“I’m pretty fortunate that I’m retired so I can charge at my convenience,” EV owner and Elk Grove resident Richard Heinson stated. “But if I were working, I’d have to schedule a bit more mindfully for peak times and charging times.”
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In spite of the fact that they were not available for an interview, SMUD issued a statement.
“This partnership will help to advance clean vehicle transportation and underscores our commitment to our 2030 zero carbon goal which brings environmental equity and economic vitality to historically under-resourced communities.”
Construction is expected to begin sometime in 2026.