Meyer, Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester Announce ‘100 EV Plugs Plan’

Today, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, U.S. Senator Tom Carper and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (Both D-Del.) joined at the Woodlawn Library to announce the county’s “100 EV Plugs Plan” to make more than 100 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging plugs available to the public at New Castle County Parks and Libraries. This project is funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, championed by Delaware’s Congressional Delegation and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021.

New Castle County currently has 8 public EV charging plugs between Brandywine Hundred Library, Bear Library and Appoquinimink Library, with 4 more coming online in the next few weeks at the newly opened Southern Park. Phase 1 of the plan includes the use $403,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant to install 7 chargers and 14 plugs at Woodlawn Library and Delcastle Park. The “100 EV Plugs Plan” will leverage federal, state, and county funding to install 106 publicly available Level 2 and Level 3 charging plugs throughout New Castle County at public libraries and parks. The EV chargers being installed will improve the EV user experience with built in credit card readers allowing easy charging for anyone. Users will be able to pay by app or credit card.

“We’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve done here in New Castle County to make our County greener, but we’ve got a long way to go,” said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. “We’re excited to partner with the federal delegation to help make electric vehicle ownership easier for Delawareans. Thank you to Senators Carper, Coons and Representative Blunt Rochester for their continued support in reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality in the First State.”

Funding for this project comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which directed $550 million for fiscal year 2022 to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. New Castle County was awarded $403,310 of these funds in July 2023.

“I’m so proud to see New Castle County building out electric vehicle charging infrastructure, which is good for our planet and our economy,” said Senator Carper, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Funding to install these EV plugs throughout our county parks and at our libraries comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — the single largest investment in transportation electrification in our nation’s history. These investments are going to be critical in the years ahead as more and more Delawareans make the shift to electric vehicles.”

“I applaud Matt Meyer’s and County Council’s decision to invest in future-forward transportation infrastructure,” said Senator Chris Coons. “I’ve known since my own days as New Castle County Executive that the EECBG program, which reduces government operating costs for residential services, creates jobs, lowers taxes, reduces emissions, and improves communities.”

“In order for us to combat the climate crisis and reduce our carbon footprint, we have to invest in energy-saving initiatives such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “The Biden Administration has made it a priority through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation I proudly voted for, to fund electric vehicle charging across the country. Through this federal grant, New Castle County will be able to continue building out its electric vehicle charging infrastructure so that we can do right by the environment, improve public health, and enhance our quality of life.” 

The 100 EV Plugs Plan will install EV Chargers at the following county libraries and parks:

• Bear Library
• Brandywine Hundred Library
• Claymont Library
• Hockessin Library
• Kirkwood Library
• Route 9 Library
• Woodlawn Library
• Appoquinimink Library
• Newark Library
• Delcastle Park
• Glasgow Park
• Banning Park
• Southern Park
• Rockwood Park
• Carousel Park