MILWAUKEE — President Biden will be in Milwaukee on Tuesday. He's scheduled to make remarks at Ingeteam about 'Bidenomics.'
Igeteam is a Spanish company focused on renewable energy. The U.S. headquarters opened in Milwaukee more than a decade ago.
Earlier this month Ingeteam announced its plan to support the Biden-Harris Administration's climate goals by manufacturing and deploying 500,000 EV charging stations along American highways. With that initiative, the company said it will expand its Milwaukee production facility and will contribute to the creation of hundreds of jobs over the next five years.
Erik Shambarger, the director of the Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO), said it's great to have that kind of company in our backyard.
"We love to see that kind of manufacturing going on in our community, really jump-starting the clean energy economy," Shambarger said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, electric car sales increased by more than 4% from 2011 to 2021. By 2030, the Bureau predicts EVs could account for 50% of all vehicle sales.
"To be ready for that we need more charging in the city as well as throughout Wisconsin and across the country in general," Shambarger.
In fact, vehicle electrification is part of the city's Climate and Equity Plan. Shambarger and his team at ECO have proposed a $15 million plan to the U.S. Department of Transportation to expand electric vehicle charging in Milwaukee.
ECO will know later this year if it receives that federal funding. If they do, the plan calls for building 53 new EV charging stations across the city. Shambarger said those charging stations would start popping up in 2025.
The city is also prioritizing installing the chargers in low-income communities and where there's a higher ratio of multi-family to single-family units.
If granted the funds, ECO will solicit bids from different companies to install, build and design the charging stations. It's unknown if Ingeteam will try to work with the city on that project but Shambarger said, "if we get the federal grant that will create a huge opportunity for us to work more with companies like Ingeteam."
To learn more about the city's Preliminary Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan, click here.
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