Arkansas' electric vehicle charging network in planning stages

Charging stations for electric vehicles could soon become ubiquitous, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

What's happening: With Arkansas' $54 million share from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure plan, there may be charging stations about every 50 miles along our interstates.

• The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment and the state's Department of Transportation are working on an infrastructure plan for how the money will be used.

Why it matters: EV registrations have doubled over the past year to about 5% of all new cars, and shoppers have dozens of new choices, with many more on the way, Axios' Joann Muller reports.

Details: Each charging station with four fast chargers and amenities will cost about $1 million.

• The department won't own or operate any of the chargers and wants public or private parties to build them, or a combination of both.

Background: The program, established by President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law, will carve out $5 billion over five years to help states create a charging station network, particularly along interstates. States must submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan before they can access the funds.

What to watch: Arkansas plans to submit its map to the Federal Highway Administration in September.