Electric vehicle infrastructure in the state will soon expand after 31 Indiana cities received nearly half a million dollars in funding for electric vehicle charging stations.

The Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund Committee awarded the cities $493,000 in total funding for 56 Level II electric vehicle charging stations.

Level II stations can power most electric vehicles in several hours and can be smart-networked to track and manage use.

Each awardee received about $9,000 per charging station.

The Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund was established in 2017 to disburse more than $40 million the state received from Volkswagen AG after the company settled a federal lawsuit alleging it disabled emissions controls in its vehicles during emissions testing.

About $6.15 million has been allocated for the implementation of a statewide electric vehicle charging network.