1st In State: Madison Home To Universal Fast Electric Car Chargers

MADISON, CT — A first in the state, level three electric vehicle fast chargers are now available in Madison, at the Interstate 95 Southbound service plaza.

This is the first set of universal access fast chargers at a Connecticut service plaza and can fully charge a vehicle in less than 30 minutes.

State Sen. Christine Cohen, Madison First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons and commissioners of the state departments of Energy and Environmental Protection and Transportation, among other officials, were on hand for the installation.

"Now electric vehicle commuters can swing into the service area on I-95 southbound between exits 61 and 62 and be fully charged and on their way within 30 minutes," Cohen said. "You can expect to see more of these universal chargers coming soon."

Additional publicly available fast chargers at service plazas in New Canaan, Greenwich, and Fairfield will be online over the next several weeks, with more to come.

State DOT commissioner Joe Giulietti said Gov. Ned Lamont "challenged" the department to "find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and we are doing just that."

"The future of transportation is green transportation, and by providing these chargers at our clean and convenient service plazas, we are making sure Connecticut is EV ready,” Giulietti said.

Tesla-specific chargers have already been installed at many Connecticut service plazas, which are operated by Project Service LLC, but these new conveniently located level three fast chargers are universal, meaning any electric vehicle can plug in and charge up. The level three fast chargers were privately funded by Applegreen Electric, an organization with over 500 fast EV charging bays across the globe.

“Scaling up EV deployment across our state is a major component of our strategy to achieve our Greenhouse Gas Emissions goals and mitigate the climate crisis before it’s too late,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “The transportation sector is responsible for the majority of our greenhouse gas emissions—38%--and 66% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, a significant contributor to harmful air pollution in our state. A key aspect of consumer adoption of EVs will be ease of use, ability to access charging infrastructure conveniently, and ability to charge quickly. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, historic levels of funding are coming to Connecticut to scale up EV deployment on our highways, but we also need private partners to get where we need to go."

The charging stations are first come, first serve, and require a credit card for payment. Additional locations along the I-95 and I-395 corridors will become available throughout the summer months.

The State has been working to scale up EV deployment in a number of ways. The Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program offers incentives of up to $9,500 for Connecticut residents who purchase or lease an eligible battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric or fuel cell EVs. The CHEAPR program was updated in 2021 to include rebates for income-qualifying individuals for both new and used EVs. CHEAPR has grown since it began as a pilot back in the spring 2015; as of last month, CHEAPR had provided over $13.5 M dollars to Connecticut drivers and helped fund the purchase of over 8,000 EVs. There are currently 28 EV models eligible for funding covering all drivers’ needs, including sedans, SUVs and even a minivan. Go here to learn more: CHEAPR - Home (ct.gov)

Additionally, The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) opened up a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) docket last year, which includes, where appropriate, the implementation of DEEP EV Roadmap-recommended policies, programs, and strategies to optimize the deployment of ZEVs and the associated distribution system infrastructure. Among these is the EV Charging Program, which provides significant incentives for residential and public Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and includes incentive adders for EVSE located in Connecticut's underserved communities.

Through the Federal Infrastructure Law, also referred to as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, funding is being provided to states around the country to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure. Connecticut’s share of funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program is being managed by Connecticut Department of Transportation. CTDOT is working closely with different state agencies and stakeholders to develop a plan on how to build out the state’s fast charging network.

To learn more about Connecticut’s NEVI plan, visit bit.ly/ctdotnevi.