Four coastal towns, Surf City, Jacksonville, Hampstead and Leland, are among those selected to receive money from the latest round of awards from the Volkswagen settlement, to be used to install publicly accessible zero-emission vehicle chargers.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality is awarding $255,000 in rebates to public and private organizations to help fund a total of 59 new Level 2 charging ports at 23 sites statewide.
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Charging stations on the coast from this round of funding will be at the following locations:
- Surf City Old Town Hall public beach access at 214 N. New River Drive in Surf City.
- Jacksonville Mall, 375 Western Blvd., Jacksonville.
- Surf City Municipal Complex, 214 W. Florence Way, Hampstead.
- Town of Leland Founders Park, 115 Town Hall Drive, Leland.
This funding is the first to be awarded from the $68 million the state has available in Phase 2 of the North Carolina Volkswagen Mitigation Settlement Program. Additional rebates are still available to qualifying applicants.
Officials said the projects will enhance and extend the current electric vehicle infrastructure network in North Carolina to increase the use of electric vehicles in place of gas-powered cars and improve air quality by significantly reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and greenhouse gases.
“Motor vehicles are the No. 1 source of air pollution in North Carolina, so electrifying our transportation network is an essential step in curbing these emissions,” says Mike Abraczinskas, director of the Division of Air Quality. “These rebates are just the first of many grants and rebates DAQ will award this year with the funds North Carolina received from the national Volkswagen Settlement. We are excited to fund not just electric vehicle chargers but also electric and low-emission vehicles to replace some of the dirtiest diesel vehicles on the roads today.”
DEQ is awarding Level 2 Public Access rebates to qualifying applicants on a first-come, first-served basis until the full $1,070,877 is allocated for this program. Local government agencies, nonprofits and private businesses are all eligible to apply.
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Rebates up to a maximum of $5,000 are available to government applicants and up to $4,000 to non-government applicants for each new charging port installed. There is still time to apply for a rebate through this program.
DEQ manages North Carolina’s share of the VW settlement, an agreement between the German automaker and the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. North Carolina’s beneficiary mitigation plan is structured in two phases. In Phase 1, nearly $30 million was awarded for projects across North Carolina. In Phase 2, the state plans to invest the remaining $67 million in additional projects.
DEQ is allocating the full 15%, which is about $10,198,826, allowed in the Volkswagen State Trust Agreement for charging infrastructure projects under Phase 2. Additional settlement funds will support the replacement of diesel vehicles with newer, cleaner alternatives.
The timeline for application deadlines and award announcements for each program is available online.
