Fifty more electric vehicle chargers are coming to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The Federal Highway Administration announced Tuesday it has awarded Atlanta nearly $12 million for the charging hub, along with an additional $15 million for 200-plus public charging ports in and around Macon.
The federal grants are through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and are designed to expand the network of publicly available chargers and zero-emission fueling infrastructure across the country. The number of public chargers in the U.S. has doubled since 2021.
Hartsfield-Jackson has 275 electric vehicle chargers already, the first of which were installed in 2017 as part of a goal of creating “one of the greenest airports in the world. ” The chargers are located in public and employee parking areas throughout the airport.
The FHA grant will provide fast-charging stations that can be used by travelers as well as rental car companies, ride-share drivers, airport hotel shuttles, employees and the city of Atlanta’s electric vehicle fleet.
One of the grant’s aims is to reduce asthma issues — particularly children — for those living in neighborhoods around the airport. Ground traffic in and around airports produces a significant amount of emissions and worsens air quality.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that the grant promotes good environmental stewardship.
“Millions of Georgia’s dollars are coming back to our state to make the world’s busiest airport more efficient, resilient and built for the future,” Dickens said.
The second grant, awarded to the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, will go toward installing 234 publicly available electric vehicle charging ports throughout an 11-county region around Macon. The goal there is to ensure charging stations are no more than 15 minutes apart.
The urban and rural projects awarded grants in Georgia show how creative the state has been in supporting electric vehicle infrastructure, FHA Administrator Shaileen Bhatt said in an interview.
“When I think about states that are leading the charge, this is going to sound like a bad pun, but Georgia is right up there,” Bhatt said.
As the cost of electric vehicles has dropped in recent years, more people are interested in buying a gas-free car, Bhatt said. The main hesitance is often charging concerns. The FHA’s goal is to reduce that fear so people feel comfortable switching.
“We’re trying to build out that charge network so people don’t have the range anxiety,” Bhatt said.
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