KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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Before Panasonic chose Kansas, and the recent popularity of electric vehicles, local governments have been adding electric vehicle chargers to keep up with the growing demand.
Johnson County has been expanding their charging options with the help of neighboring communities and a mix of state, local and federal funding.
The City of De Soto hasn't gotten involved yet, but as they consider becoming a part of the charging infrastructure, they can learn from their neighbors.
"We want to meet people where they are and the number of people who own electric vehicles in Johnson County continues to rise," said Mike Kelly, chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.
In 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, Kansas had 11,271 registered electric vehicles.
Missouri had more than double that with 26,861registered electric vehicles.
Currently, the county owns 34 public EV chargers and they hope to keep expanding.
"Through the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, a bi-partisan effort that is law, we were able to garner $1.4 million to double the amount of public facing chargers we have between ourselves and partnering municipalities," Kelly said.
Kelly said a joint effort between local municipalities contributed $360,000 to the project.
Electric vehicles, according to the City of Overland Park's Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan, have reached 7% of new vehicle sales in the city and surrounding region.
There are several charging station efforts between state agencies, the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Mid-America Regional Council and Evergy.
The City of Overland Park passed their electric vehicle plan last year.
They're currently in the implementation phase of gradually expanding their fleet and public charging options.
"When it comes to 'Why this particular technological advancement?"' "For us, it's about the operations, Meg Ralph, communications director for the City of Overland Park, said. "Can we transition the operations to cost less money? Have less of an environmental impact? We're always looking into how do we save that money, reduce that impact."
Future charging locations could include The Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Scheels Soccer Complex, St. Andrew's Golf Course and Deanna Rose Farmstead.
Ralph said their EV plan uses a mix of city, state government and federal government funding, including from the Department of Transportation and Community Development Block Grant.
"There are a lot of electric vehicles in Overland Park, and we see that is growing ever since we started working on this project, and it sure seems like there will be more of a demand as we move into the future," she said.
The City of De Soto isn't ready yet to finalize their approach.
A memo from a recent city council meeting anticipates the project to cost $100,000.
