More Dane County residents drive electric vehicles (EVs) than anywhere else in Wisconsin.
That means we need to take EV charging infrastructure seriously. And, to achieve our goal of an equitable clean energy future, we need to make sure that everyone has access to EV charging infrastructure so that everyone can access the many benefits of EVs.
Charge Up Dane County will expand EV charging infrastructure in Dane County so that EVs are a viable option for all Dane County residents.
The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) program and in August 2024 US DOT announced that Dane County and its partners will receive $13.2 million in funding to implement Charge Up Dane County. This funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
It will take a few months for US DOT and Dane County to finalize the paperwork associated with this funding. To stay updated on the progress of this grant please subscribe to our newsletter (see below).
The first generation of EV owners tended to be homeowners who could charge their vehicles in private garages. Experts say that most current EV owners do 80% of their charing at home.
As EV ownership expands, though, we will need public charging so that people who live in apartments or homes without garages can charge easily too. As the number of new EVs grows the number of used EVs will also grow, making EV ownership more affordable to more people. (Especially with the new tax credits for used EVs!) Our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to EV charging infrastructure to reduce barriers to EV adoption.
Charge Up Dane County – Accelerating the Transition to EV Transportation for All is a regional initiative to install EV charging in locations that would otherwise be underserved.
Led by Dane County’s Office of Energy & Climate Change, the team includes the City of Madison, other municipalities, area electric utilities, community-based groups and the University of Wisconsin. Project partners include state and national electrification experts including Wisconsin Clean Cities and the Electrification Coalition.
We are focusing on charging gaps in all areas of Dane County - urban to rural. We aim to ensure that everyone has access to electrified transportation.
Last year the Greater Madison Metropolitan Organization (MPO) did a study of EV charging infrastructure in Dane County and our work will build on that analysis.
We will focus urban and suburban multifamily areas, rural areas and multimodal hubs across the county. We expect to install a mix of Level 2, Level 2.5 and DCFC EV charging stations that will expedite EV adoption across our communities, which will lead to improvements in air quality and public health, lower transportation costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The first phase of Charge Up Dane County will be to solicit public input into the charging gaps identified by the MPO. The team will use an equity analysis and other tools to finalize priority areas for the new charging stations. Before choosing host sites the team will select one or more preferred station vendors; this will simplify the planning process for potential station hosts. Then the team will solicit station host applications, inviting both public and private entities to apply to host NEVI compliant EV charging stations. After selecting station sites, the team will work with hosts to expedite installation.
And at every stage we will maximize opportunities to educate the public on the benefits of EVs, to create family-sustaining jobs in the clean fuel industry, to maximize equity and Justice40 priorities, and to showcase a new standard for reliable, safe and accessible EV charging in our communities. Charge Up Dane County will expedite Dane County’s transition to an equitable clean fuel future.
Subscribe to the OECC newsletter to get the latest news on Charge Up Dane County and other OECC initiatives. Subscribe to the Charge Up email alerts if you are only interested in news about this effort.
If you are interested in providing equipment or services as part of this project, please register your company as a vendor so that you will receive notices about Requests for Proposals and other Dane County solicitations.
