New electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are coming to communities across Alabama, thanks to more than $2.45 million in grants awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey.

The 18 grants will be used to install charging stations along highways in several areas of the state.

“As many of Alabama’s automobile manufacturers gear production toward electric vehicles, Alabama must be ready to provide the charging infrastructure needed for those who choose to drive these vehicles,” Ivey said in a news release.

“It is important for Alabama to have electric vehicle charging stations in many locations, so that we can meet the needs of Alabama motorists who choose to drive an electric vehicle, as well as out-of-state drivers who are visiting or passing through our state.”

The City of Helena recently received a grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

A charging station that can facilitate two cars at one time will be built at the Helena Sports Complex.

MONTGOMERY — New electric-vehicle charging stations may be coming to a community near you, thanks to more than $2.45 million in grants awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey.

The 18 grants awarded by the governor will be used for new charging stations along highways in several areas of the state.

 “As many of Alabama’s automobile manufacturers gear production toward electric vehicles, Alabama must be ready to provide the charging infrastructure needed for those who choose to drive these vehicles,” Gov. Ivey said. “It is important for Alabama to have electric vehicle charging stations in many locations so that we can meet the needs of Alabama motorists who choose to drive an electric vehicle as well as out-of-state drivers who are visiting or passing through our state.”

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A Korean automotive parts company plans to open a $205 million factory that will supply 200,000 battery modules annually for electric vehicles produced in Alabama and Georgia, officials said Thursday.

The 450,000-square-foot (41,800-square-meter) factory planned by Hyundai Mobis will be located near Alabama’s capital at the site where Hyundai has been assembling vehicles for more than a decade. Production of battery assemblies is expected to start in 2024, the company said.

Honda Motor Co. and LG Energy Solution announced Oct. 11 a joint-venture plan to invest up to $4.4 billion to build electric-vehicle batteries in Fayette County, Ohio, creating 2,200 jobs.

The plant will produce pouch-type lithium batteries with 40 gigawatt-hours of annual production capacity. Construction is set to begin in early 2023 with production starting by the end of 2025.

For the better part of the last decade, Alabama has been turning itself into a place where electric cars are made.

Now the state just needs to become a place where more electric vehicles are driven.

The number of electric cars in Alabama is expected to balloon in the coming years, meaning new challenges, including installing charging stations, maintaining the power grid, and convincing consumers that their transportation needs can be met without gasoline.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says the bus is leaving the station and the bus is electric.

Delivering opening remarks at an electric vehicle summit in Birmingham today, Ivey told the crowd of a few hundred attendees that the future of transportation was electric, and that Alabama is being proactive in embracing the changing automotive markets.

“We need to lean in on this new technology for the sake of our economy tomorrow,” Ivey said.

Alabama has become “an industry giant” in electric vehicle manufacturing, according to Gov. Kay Ivey.

Ivey’s opening remarks Wednesday kick-started the inaugural Drive Electric Alabama EV Summit in Birmingham.

The summit featured discussions regarding state leadership’s efforts to attract EV automotive manufacturers to Alabama along other EV-related topics.

Panels of industry experts, elected officials and manufacturing executives touched on topics related to charging technology, EV charging’s effect on the power grid, among other key issues.

Autocar has delivered its first Alabama-built electric vehicle, a signal that the manufacturer of specialized trucks sees a future in EVs.

Autocar’s first battery-electric terminal tractor, the E-ACTT, went to Old Dominion Freight Line for use at its Rialto, California, facility.

Autocar produces specialized severe-duty vocational vehicles for a wide range of industrial applications. Its Alabama plant is the first to add EV production to the mix.