DC light poles will soon charge your electric car

The city awarded three grants to companies that will install more publicly available EV chargers.

1 minute read

May 27, 2026, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Close-up on utility pole with EV charger cable running out of it to dark-colored car plugged into it.

A lamp post EV charger in London, UK. | William Barton / Shutterstock

The Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment awarded three grants to companies that will add more electric car charging stations to public areas in the district, reports Christian Flores for ABC 7. Over 20% of cars sold in D.C. are electric, a rate second only to California in the United States, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. 

According to a DOEE spokesperson, the grants, which total $609,000, are meant to offset upfront equipment costs and are funded with money from a settlement with Volkswagen, not taxpayer funds. One of the companies, Voltpost, will install EV chargers on existing utility poles. As of today, the city only owns six chargers at two locations. "There are more than 1,000 privately-run chargers, but the CEOs who spoke with 7News said there are hurdles to building more stations."

Monday, May 25, 2026 in ABC 7

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