Blink Charging Co., an owner, operator and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and services, in association with Virginia Clean Cities, has been awarded a grant to deploy 200 Blink Fast Level 2 19.2 kW charging stations across the Mid-Atlantic region, including locations in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The three-year project, part of the Mid-Atlantic Electrification Partnership, is expected to commence in October with the identification of suitable EV charging locations.
The objective of the Mid-Atlantic Electrification Partnership is to provide a regional ecosystem enabling the use of all sizes of EVs (light-, medium- and heavy-duty) for fleets, transportation network companies and consumers. This ecosystem project will connect the region’s cities, employing multiple EV and infrastructure sub-projects, and will include multimodal hubs such as airports, seaports, mass transit hubs and logistics centers – while also addressing underserved neighborhoods and the corridors between and within them.
The project supports inter- and intra-city trips for commercial and government entities, consumers, ridesharing fleets serving social service centers, airports and other passenger destinations; schools; and trucks serving large distribution centers (ports), as well as charging for employees and visitors at these facilities.
“We are pleased to partner with Virginia Clean Cities in this initiative that brings together strong local and regional partners with a shared vision to create an enduring regional ecosystem to promote and support the use of EVs,” says Michael D. Farkas, founder and CEO of Blink.
“With the appropriate infrastructure, education and community outreach, initiatives like this one make the adoption of EVs much more accessible for government, business and consumer use,” he adds.
Blink has worked with four clean cities coalitions to expand charging station networks to meet regional alternative fuel goals. In Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., Blink has an existing network of charging stations to expand upon. Blink originally provided the Virginia Clean Cities coalition with demonstration EV charging equipment in 2011 – and the company’s staff has worked with the state of Virginia repeatedly to plan for EVs. Blink will work with its existing site hosts and the partners participating in this regional ecosystem project, to obtain additional sites and install charging stations quickly and efficiently.
Photo: Blink Charging’s About web page