Making the switch to an electric vehicle comes with many benefits including reduced emissions, lower costs, and less maintenance, but the persistent issue of “range anxiety” is still a concern for drivers who would otherwise embrace cleaner electric transportation options. To combat this issue, PECO is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and charging station owners to support the build-out of fast-charging infrastructure in key transportation corridors, leveraging federal funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program to make electric vehicle charging more accessible for our customers and communities. In a significant milestone for PECO and for Pennsylvania’s electric transportation goals, PECO recently energized the first NEVI-funded EV charger in southeastern Pennsylvania at a Royal Farms convenience store in Aston, Delaware County. Located less than a mile from the I-95 corridor, it provides a convenient charging option for travelers and nearby residents.
What is the NEVI Program?
Funded by the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, NEVI provides $5 billion in federal funding to states to encourage the build-out of electric vehicle fast charging infrastructure along specially designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) throughout the country. Under the NEVI program, “built-out” means there must be no more than 50 miles between fast charging stations, and chargers must be no further than one mile from the nearest AFC exit. There are more than 1,800 miles of AFCs within Pennsylvania, and PennDOT has been awarded $171.5 million over a five-year period to improve access to EV charging.
What is PECO’s Role?
As a leading energy provider for the Greater Philadelphia region, PECO is doing its part to bring these chargers online, consistent with our Path to Clean commitment to expand access to cleaner energy solutions. Once NEVI funding was announced, PECO began working with PennDOT, collaborating on outreach and education to raise awareness of this historic opportunity, and developing an EV Roadmap for customers proposing new EV charging projects.
“Energizing the first NEVI-funded charger in southeastern Pennsylvania is an important milestone for PECO, and we look forward to working with PennDOT to build on this momentum to expand access to electric vehicle charging,” said Carolina DiGiorgio, PECO vice president of Governmental and External Affairs. “The NEVI program is incredibly important to Pennsylvania’s electrified transportation goals, and we’re committed to doing all we can to streamline our efforts so more projects like this can come online soon.”
Because a fast charger can only live up to its potential with careful design and engineering work and a reliable connection to the electric distribution grid, PECO established a streamlined permitting process for PennDOT and charging providers for NEVI projects and works to provides timely feedback on proposed locations to ensure that selected sites would have the necessary electric capacity to host fast-charging installations. For this charger installation in Aston, PECO engineers had to determine the best way to integrate the new electric service with existing customer equipment without interrupting service. In addition, a new pad-mounted transformer was installed to reduce the voltage from the local grid to provide a safe and reliable power supply for the new chargers.
The charger in Aston is just the beginning – there are currently 14 additional NEVI-funded sites planned in PECO’s service territory. PECO is committed to working with PennDOT and charging station owners to ensure that more projects like this can come online soon, helping our customers to leave range anxiety in the rear-view mirror.