EnviroSpark’s installers may soon become connoisseurs of hash browns. The company has won a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding award from its home state of Georgia to build four DC fast chargers at a Waffle House in Tifton, and four more at a Shell station in Metter.

EnviroSpark, which won two of the five eligible sites in Phase 1 of the state’s NEVI awards, will host all eight stations on its national EnviroSpark charging network. The company will begin construction and installation later this year.

The new Waffle House charging stations mark the second collaboration between the EV charging operator and the Southern culinary icon—and more may follow. In February, the Tennessee DOT selected EnviroSpark to build stations at a Lakeland, Tennessee Waffle House.

“We are honored to once again partner with Waffle House—a fellow Georgia-based business,” said EnviroSpark co-founder Stephanie Luque, who also leads the company’s federal initiatives. “NEVI-funded projects like these represent huge steps toward reducing drivers’ range anxiety and moving us closer to mass EV adoption.”

According to GDOT, Georgia is among the top 10 states for EV sales, and three of the top five largest pending investments in the growing EV supply chain are in Georgia. Georgia has around 1,200 public charging stations, but only 14 stations currently meet both the distance and power requirements under federal rules (minimum of four 150 kW ports and located within one mile of an Alternative Fuel Corridor).

“The Georgia NEVI Deployment Program outlines the state’s approach to using our federal funding to address EV infrastructure gaps in our state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors,” said Georgia DOT Deputy Chief Engineer Andrew Heath. “In order for us to be successful, we are turning to the private sector to deliver this innovative infrastructure at strategic locations across our state through public-private partnerships.”

Source: EnviroSpark