Blink Charging Co. will create 25 electrical vehicle charging sites on major Florida highways designed to provide quick-charging opportunities along evacuation routes in the event of natural disasters.
The Miami Beach-based company (Nasdaq: BLNK) on Tuesday announced it was awarded a $12.5 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection to deploy those stations, which will feature a total of 52 direct current fast chargers.
The Florida DEP aims to develop a network of electric vehicle charging stations along main corridors on Routes 95, 75, 10 and 4. The state made $16 million available for a total of 32 proposed sites and awarded nearly 80% of those locations to Blink.
"Minimizing barriers to EV charging is critical to increasing consumer adoption of EVs, and with 25 new sites across the state, we are continuing our mission to provide EV charging where and when drivers need it," said Blink founder and CEO Michael D. Farkas.
Renewable-energy powered transportation infrastructure that can stand against extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, will become even more necessary with time due to the effects of climate change, the company reports.
In a statement, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said South Florida businesses like Blink are already positioning themselves as leaders in the emerging electric vehicle and renewable energy infrastructure industries.
"We are delighted to have companies like Blink here in our backyard building towards a better tomorrow," he said.
The grant award locations include agreements between Blink and other consumer brands that will serve as site host partners, according to a news release. Each location will deploy two 175kW DC fast chargers beginning this fall.
The South Florida charging stations will be at:
- Broward County: S.W. 12th St. Deerfield Beach
- Miami-Dade County: N.E. Miami Gardens Drive, North Miami
- Palm Beach County: W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach
Blink offers residential and commercial EV charging equipment that enables drivers to recharge at various locations. It operates thousands of charging stations across the U.S. – including South Florida locations such as Brickell City Centre in Brickell and Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach – and sells wall-mounted charges for easy use at home.
Last year, Blink expanded through the acquisitions of BlueLA, the city of Los Angeles' contractor for EV car-sharing services programs and U-Go Stations, an EV charging station operator with locations at hotels, gas stations and auto dealerships nationwide.
Shares of Blink were trading for $31.46 late Tuesday morning, down 5% from market open.
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