A $6.1 million federal grant will help pay for 300 to 400 electric-vehicle charging ports in 20 metro Atlanta counties.

The Atlanta Regional Commission plans to install the chargers in areas where EV charging is scarce. ARC estimates there are 1,800 to 2,000 publicly accessible Level 2 charging ports in metro Atlanta — ports that allow motorists to fully recharge a battery from empty in four to 10 hours. Most of them are concentrated in affluent areas.

Charging at the new stations will be free.

“As a region, we must prepare for the EV revolution that we know is coming, in a way that ensures no community is left behind,” said Anna Roach, ARC’s executive director.

The U.S. Department of Transportation grant comes from a program created by the bipartisan infrastructure law that Congress approved in 2021. The department awarded $622.6 million for installing chargers across the country. ARC is the only Georgia agency to receive the grant.

The first round of chargers will be installed in 12 to 18 months.

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