Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify electric vehicle (EV) charging providers that are capable of building out Vermont’s charging network to federal and state specifications. Providers selected in the RFQ process will be invited to bid on subsequent Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the design, construction, ownership, operation, and maintenance of public charging infrastructure along key routes.
“The State of Vermont is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, and electric transportation is essential to achieve our emissions reduction targets,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn. “We need to choose the most qualified providers for this important work to ensure a consistent and reliable charging experience for EV drivers on Vermont roads for many years to come."
Vermont will receive $21.2 million during a five-year period from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. The first phase of the program focuses on installing fast chargers every 50 miles along the nation’s highway corridors, within one mile from highway exits.
This federal requirement is only one component of Vermont’s goals for public chargers.
The NEVI program was established through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, often referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The goal of the program is to create a convenient national network of fast EV charging stations to support the use of more electric vehicles and increase equitable access to infrastructure and economic opportunity.
The first 14 of 15 priority locations identified for public fast charging in AOT’s initial NEVI plan will be the focus of the initial RFP.
Through the RFQ process, AOT will develop a list of qualified EV charging providers who can deliver nearly all elements of the NEVI program: secure agreements with site hosts, work with local certified contractors to design and install NEVI-compliant equipment, and operate and maintain the infrastructure for the long term to meet accessibility, reporting, and other requirements.
Federal funding will cover most of the costs to deploy the new charging stations, with the balance (a minimum match requirement of 20%) to be met with private dollars by third-party contractors engaged through this RFQ process. Private contractors are encouraged to avail themselves of the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, a recently reauthorized federal tax credit for EV charging, to help stretch Vermont’s share of federal dollars further.
On April 29, the Agency of Transportation, with the Federal Highway Administration, Vermont’s congressional delegates, and federal and state partners, will host a ribbon cutting event for the installation of Vermont’s first electric vehicle super-fast chargers under the NEVI program. The chargers are located at Denny Park in Bradford, near to I-91.
Vermont is the sixth state in the country to install NEVI fast chargers. The four NEVI charging stations can simultaneously charge 180 kilowatts per hour. The new fast chargers in downtown Bradford complement two existing 50-kilowatt DC fast chargers and a single AC Level 2 charger installed at the site under a grant agreement with the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development. Both projects have been managed by Vermont-based Norwich Technologies.
Questions related to the RFQ are due April 29, and interested parties may submit Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) through May 22.
For details about the RFQ opportunity, go to the Contract Administration bid page on the AOT website.
Source: 4.16.2024. Vermont Agency of Transportation, Barre, vtrans.vermont.gov
