The Sheetz in Moon Township will have four fast-charging plugs for electric vehicles courtesy of a $250,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The agency announced $936,000 in grants on Friday for 16 more fast chargers in high-traffic areas to make electric vehicles more readily available to consumers.
Under the state program, Driving PA Forward in the last few years, about 40 fast chargers and more than 1,300 other chargers have been installed or are in development by companies, local governments and organizations.
The other sites for the recent DEP grant awards are in Philadelphia; Ridley Township, Delaware County; and Quakertown, Bucks County.
The Sheetz gas station in Moon Township is located at 9002 University Boulevard, less than a half-mile from I-376 Business and less than four miles from I-376.
The Moon Township Sheetz is also located in an “environmental justice community.” That’s an area where the median household income is less than 65% of the state median income or with a population that is at least 25% minority, foreign born or lacking English language proficiency.
Sheetz did not comment immediately on the grant award.
The new electric plugs are located in community hubs, making it easier for electric car owners to charge their vehicles.
The DEP and PennDOT are developing electric vehicle corridors for longer distance drivers. Eventually, these corridors will offer charging every 50 miles along the highways and no more than 5 miles from the road, with accompanying roadside signage.
Interstates 76, 95, 376, and 476 are part of this growing network, which currently totals 731 miles, according to DEP.
“We can turn in the direction of healthier air quality and slow down climate change by switching to electric vehicles, whether we’re government officials, business owners, school administrators, community leaders, or individual consumers,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell in a press release.
The DEP pointed out that transportation generates 47% of the nitrogen oxide and 21% of the carbon dioxide emissions in the state.
Carbon dioxide emissions are the leading cause of climate change, and nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, which affects the health of children, older people, people with lung diseases such as asthma and emphysema, and people who work or are active outdoors, the agency said.
Gov. Tom Wolf is working with the DEP Bureau of Air Quality to draft a proposed rule that would amend the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program to establish a requirement for automakers to include light-duty electric vehicles as a percentage of their model offerings.
DEP and the Pennsylvania Drive Electric Coalition has recently updated the Pennsylvania Electric Vehicle Roadmap. The report documented that while Pennsylvanians are increasingly interested in the option of replacing their gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle with a zero emission vehicle, many people have only slight knowledge of electric vehicles, and opportunities to test drive and purchase them in state are limited.
