Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Wisconsin

Both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in Nov. 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022 have funds allocated for EV charging stations.  On September 14, 2022 the Biden-Harris Administration announced approval of the first 35 states’ National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) plans.  Wisconsin’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure plan (WEVI) was one of the state plans approved.  This will unlock more than $900 million for FY 22 and FY23.  Wisconsin is allocated $11.6M in FY22, and $16.7M in each year FY23 thru FY26 with an estimated total of $78.6M.

In addition, the Inflation Reduction Act authorizes an additional $3B for EV charging for economically disadvantaged communities and an additional $2.5B Discretionary Grant Program for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure.  Rural communities are included in this sector.
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Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan estimates funds will be available starting in 2023 and will be allocated by the WisDOT based on program selection criteria.  State Highway 2 is listed as an “Approved 2022 Alternative Fuel Corridor” and is important because it serves a rural community.  The figure below is from the WEVI Plan:

Deployment of infrastructure funds will be through a competitive process and will seek applications from eligible site hosts to install, own, and operate NEVI-compliant charging stations.  Non-federal matching funds of at least 20% will be required.  Funds will be made available to local governments as well as private entities.  Criteria for siting charging stations are included in the WEVI plan and include things like availability of 3-phase power and that multiple amenities are available.

In March 2022, WisDOT launched its Electrification of Wisconsin website to keep the public updated and informed as this is an evolving process.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission is also directly involved with EV charging through regulatory policies with the state’s investment owned utilities.  Electric rates and rate design can significantly affect EV deployment.  The WI state legislature is also involved in trying to resolve the $10M Volkswagen settle funds earmarked for EV charging, as well as redefining antiquated utility laws in this new age of electrification.
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The IRS Section 30C 30% tax credit is back starting in 2023 and applies to residential and commercial EV chargers.  It was extended by the Inflation Reduction Act.  The 30% credit does come with some conditions like prevailing wages and apprenticeship requirements. 

In addition, a business can depreciate the equipment in one year using Section 179.  Check with your CPA for details.
EV Economics:

EV Quantities
  • It takes 26kWh to drive a Tesla 100 miles (varies by manufacturer), or about 4 miles per kWh
  • An average WI household might use about 24kWh/day
  • An average driver might need an additional 10kWh/day to charge a vehicle (drives 15,000/year)

EV Equivalencies
  • One gallon of gasoline contains 115,000 BTUs
  • 33.7kWh equals 115,000 BTUs
  • An Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) is 20% efficient in converting gasoline into energy used
  • An Electric Vehicle is 60% efficient

A Few Conclusions
  • Using Sept. 2022 gasoline and residential electricity prices, it is 2 ½ times cheaper to charge a car with utility electricity than to buy gasoline.  Of course, it is a lot cheaper than that if you make your own electricity with solar PV.
  • For every 100 miles driven, you would save $8.83 in energy cost with an electric vehicle vs. an ICE vehicle, or save about $1325/year if you drive 15,000/year
  • The math to support these conclusions can be found here.
Older Posts:

High speed EV Charger opens in Washburn
by Roger Aiken

Bay Area Rapid Transit has provided a new level three charger (50KW or greater charge Capacity) in Washburn, near the Bayfield Courthouse, just off Washington Ave and East 6th street.

This is a significant event for the area and will allow visitors and residents traveling to distant areas to charge quickly at a good price.    Level 2 charges add about 30 miles an hour to the vehicle. Level three charges can add more than 100 miles in the same time span, depending on the vehicle and state of charge.

The new Level three charger joins L3 chargers in  Duluth, Spooner, Trego, and Clam Lake to make traveling to our area and return much more convenient.

 The BART has an electric bus on order and will be using the station for a limited time per day. It will be available to the public twenty-four hours a day when not in use. It provides the two plug types, CHAdeMO and CCS.  Other level two charges are available in Bayfield and Washburn at various hotels and (summer) campgrounds.

The charger is on the EVGateway Network, which has a downloadable app to setup an account, or the charger will take a credit card or RFID card for account holders. The electric busses are part of a Statewide group purchase and so this network should grow as rural transit authorities receive the electric busses. 



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Don and his Ford Focus EV