LAWRENCE, Indiana — A $90,000 grant will allow the city of Lawrence to study the potential implementation of electric vehicle charging stations at strategic points throughout the city, leaders announced Monday.
The grant would fund an analysis of technical planning, decision making guidance for officials and equipment type for electronic vehicle charging stations. The study's overall mission would be to provide Lawrence officials with a planning document that provides guidance through the "deployment of emerging technology."
A steering committee consisting of leaders from the public and private sectors has already been created, and includes officials from MSDLT school system and the Redevelopment Commission.
The Biden administration recently announced it would propose strict new automobile pollution limits that would require at least 54% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030 and as many as two of every three by 2032, according to industry and environmental officials briefed on the plan.
City leaders called the accessibility of these charging stations "essential" as the town anticipates growth over the coming years.
"From an economic development perspective, the City of Lawrence is strategically located to serve as a critical EV charging location to support the Federal Highway Transportation Plan’s identified EV charging requirements," the city said in a statement.
They believe "robust EV charging infrastructure" will be critical to support local business operations and residential development in the near future and beyond.
The Lochmueller Group will lead this study on behalf of the City of Lawrence Redevelopment Commission.
The study is expected to be complete and presented to the public by late fall 2023, and is funded by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization and the City of Lawrence Redevelopment Commission.
