NMDOT Announces First Round of Funding for NEVI Awards

[manicsubmersion]

Jan 24, 2024 | Charging and Fueling Infrastructure, Press Release
Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) received $38.3 million in NEVI Formula funding to distribute through 2026. The funds will be used for the expansion of a National EV Charging Infrastructure network in the State of New Mexico. In the first round of funding distributions, NMDOT received 17 applications and awarded $11.9 million to six (6) entities, for a total of 20 locations and 84 new EV chargers across New Mexico. Additional phases of funding distribution will be available in the Spring.

Awardees and locations

• EV Gateway (Las Cruces)
• Francis Energy (Raton, Socorro, Los Lunas, T or C)
• Pilot (Jamestown, Moriarity)
• Red E Charging LLC (Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Grants, Maxwell, Bernalillo)
• SkyChargers LLC (Deming)
• Tesla (Lordsburg, Encino, Gallup, Wagon Mound, Las Vegas, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari)

“With the help of USDOT, the ideas supported by these awards constitute a leap forward in achieving a low-carbon future and assist in building a comprehensive charging infrastructure network that will open New Mexico’s electric drivability,” said Ricky Serna, NMDOT Cabinet Secretary.

The NEVI Plan, approved by the Federal Joint Office of Energy and Transportation on September 14, 2022, envisions a phased approach to create a reliable, accessible, convenient, and an affordable EV charging network which will in turn support transportation choices, energy diversification, economic development, and environmental sustainability for all New Mexicans. The Solicitation for Applications (SFA) was Phase One of The NEVI Plan, which aims to build-out I-25, I-40 and I-10.
Per NEVI Formula Requirements, once EV Charging Stations have been installed along the Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFC) and approved as “built out” by the FHWA, the State of New Mexico can expand the network further into other high priority EV corridors as part of the remaining plan.

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[manicsubmersion]

My commentary on the above press release:

The Francis Energy award in Truth or Consequences is a bit strange because Francis Energy just opened a 2 station DCFC (150kw) in Elephant Butte a few months ago. For those of you not familiar with NM geography, this is only a few miles up the road from TrC. Anyway, the i25 corridor in NM needs all the help in can get and redundancy for charging is a good thing.

North western New Mexico remains a charging desert although the state has provided some funding for slow (50kw) DCFC installations in Tierra Amarilla (LOOP network) and Chama (LOOP network), both sites currently operational and making travel from Albuquerque to Chama now a possibility. We could definitely use a DCFC station in Espanola ( north of Santa Fe) and one in Cuba, NM, on highway 550 heading toward Farmington. NM.

Regardless, all of the above this is good news, especially for those heading north or south on i25 from Albuquerque.

 

[kindofblue]

The station(s) in TorC will be much closer to the freeway and could help support the local economy (e.g. restaurants nearby, etc..)

I would imagine the chargers in EB will be used much more on weekends.

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