A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 17 of Title 45.2 an article numbered 10, consisting of sections numbered 45.2-1735, 45.2-1736, and 45.2-1737, relating to Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund created.
HB324 creates the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and a corresponding nonreverting fund in the Virginia Code. The program would provide grants to private developers to help cover non-utility costs of installing public electric vehicle charging stations in three types of locations: rural and underserved localities, eligible public land, and sites within one mile of eligible public land. Eligible public land is defined to include Virginia state parks, national parks in the Commonwealth, and national forests in the Commonwealth.
Under the bill, a private developer could receive a grant of up to 70 percent of eligible non-utility costs, subject to available money in the fund. The Department administering the program would set application and award guidelines, require a five-year operations and maintenance plan, establish minimum uptime standards, and ensure funded chargers meet at least 208-volt power requirements. The bill also directs the Department to prioritize projects near public amenities, such as restrooms, drinking water, sheltered seating, and visitor centers, and to encourage safety-oriented design features.
The bill further limits grant eligibility in rural and underserved localities by barring awards where there are 5,000 or fewer residents per publicly accessible charging port that meets the program’s standards. It defines publicly accessible charging stations to exclude chargers restricted to customers, tenants, employees, or paid-parking users, and it requires open-access payment methods consistent with federal standards. The fund would be financed through appropriations and other gifts or grants, remain nonreverting, and be used only for program grants.
The bill’s impact on state law would be to add a new state grant program within Title 45.2 focused on expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure in rural areas and near public lands, while creating a dedicated treasury fund to support it. It would give the Department of Energy-style administrative authority over grant criteria, site standards, and ongoing performance requirements, and it would sunset the program on July 1, 2031.
The available context suggests generally favorable treatment in committee, but not strong final momentum, as the bill was continued to the next session in Appropriations by voice vote. No recorded floor votes or committee transcript debate were provided, so there is little direct evidence of public contention in the materials. The main policy tension implied by the bill itself is between promoting rural EV access and limiting subsidies to projects that meet specific density, uptime, access, and maintenance standards, which may narrow the number of eligible projects.
HB324 would amend the Code of Virginia by adding a new article in Title 45.2 establishing the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Fund. It would authorize state grants for private developers installing public EV charging stations in rural and underserved localities and near eligible public lands, while imposing eligibility, siting, uptime, maintenance, and access requirements. The bill would also create a special nonreverting fund in the state treasury dedicated solely to these grants and would sunset the program on July 1, 2031.
The bill appears to have been received as a policy proposal aimed at expanding EV charging access in underserved parts of the Commonwealth, with no recorded opposition or recorded vote breakdown in the provided materials. Its continuation to the next session in Appropriations by voice vote suggests the measure advanced procedurally but did not secure final enactment in the available session. Overall, the context points to cautious or mixed institutional support rather than clear controversy.
The main points of potential contention are likely the use of state grant dollars to subsidize private EV charging projects, the bill’s geographic targeting, and the strict eligibility rules. Some stakeholders may favor the rural and public-land focus as a way to address infrastructure gaps, while others may question whether the 70 percent grant level, the nonreverting fund, or the exclusion of lower-density charging areas is the best use of public resources. The bill also could draw scrutiny over its technical standards, including the 208-volt minimum, uptime requirements, and the definition of publicly accessible charging, which may limit participation by certain site hosts or business models.