NEVI

feds-award-$521-million-in-ev-charger-funds,-but-rollout-remains-slow

Feds award $521 million in EV charger funds, but rollout remains slow

Cars, EV charging infrastructure, inflation reduction act of 2022, NEVI / /

got the plug? —

The awards are part of a $7.5 billion program for EV charger infrastructure.

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A logo of an EV painted on the ground

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The federal government awarded another $521 million in EV charger funding today. It’s the latest tranche of money to be awarded from a $7.5 billion program authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to build out fast chargers along interstate highways as well as bringing charging infrastructure to underserved communities.

$321 million from today’s announcement will be spent on 41 different projects across the country—these projects are a mix of level 2 AC chargers as well as DC fast chargers. The remaining $200 million will continue funding DC fast chargers along designated highway corridors.

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which administers the federal funding, called out a $15 million project to install chargers at 53 sites in Milwaukee and a $3.9 million project to install publicly accessible chargers on the Sioux Reservation in North Dakota as examples of the latest awards.

“Today’s investments in public community charging fill crucial gaps and provide the foundation for a zero-emission future where everyone can choose to ride or drive electric for greater individual convenience and reduced fueling costs, as well as cleaner air and lower healthcare costs for all Americans,” said Gabe Kline, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.

The Biden administration set a goal of 500,000 EV chargers nationwide by 2030. The Joint Office’s latest data shows more than 189,000 chargers across the country, although fewer than 44,000 of these were DC fast chargers.

But it cites real improvements over the past few years—56 percent of the most heavily trafficked highways have a fast charger every 50 miles, up from 38 percent in January 2021. And in June, it says an additional 3,000 charging ports were added to the national network. Other funding has gone to repairing or upgrading existing infrastructure, starting with a currently inoperable site in Washington, DC.

At the same time, progress has not been especially rapid for the highway charger NEVI (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) program. NEVI funds are administered by the states, similar to the way they manage federal highway funding, and the extra layers of bureaucracy have meant that the first NEVI-funded charging station—located in Ohio—only became operational in mid-December 2023.

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Biden administration awards $632M for EV charging in new funding round

Cars, CFI, charging infrastructure, infrastructure investment and jobs act, joint office, NEVI / /

and some H2, too —

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set aside $2.5 billion for underserved and rural areas.

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Young multiracial man charging his electric car, close-up.

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The federal government’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced on Thursday $632 million in grants to fund clean vehicle infrastructure. Twenty-two states along with Puerto Rico will be the recipients of this first round of funding from the $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program, which started accepting applications in March 2023.

Although US carbon emissions fell last year, most of that was achieved through much cleaner energy generation. But when it comes to transportation’s contribution to our annual carbon impact, that line is sadly still going up. Which is why it was encouraging that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2022 included $7.5 billion for clean vehicle infrastructure.

Two-thirds of that was set aside for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program. That $5 billion is being spent mostly on DC fast charging infrastructure, mostly at regular intervals along highway corridors, but also on charger reliability. Rather than paying for the chargers directly, the federal government is awarding it to states and metropolitan planning organizations the way it does with other highway formula funds.

The other $2.5 billion was allocated for CFI. Unlike NEVI, CFI has been open to a wider pool of applications, including local governments and public-private partnerships looking to fund clean vehicle infrastructure in underserved or rural areas. For this round of $632 million in grants, more than 70 percent of the funds will be spent in disadvantaged communities, according to the Joint Office.

“A hallmark of the CFI program is its context sensitivity—it gives communities the opportunity to build the right mix of charging to meet the specific e-mobility needs of people where they live, work, and play,” said Joint Office Executive Director Gabe Klein.

“These awards will leverage the creativity and expertise of American communities around the country advancing clean and equitable transportation options through innovative projects like charging and hydrogen fueling for heavy duty trucks on major corridors, electrification at multifamily housing, multimodal charging hubs for e-bikes and scooters, and even pedestrian safety improvements,” Klein said.

Of the 47 projects being funded (you can see the entire list here), 43 are for EV charging, one is for EV charging and hydrogen refueling, and the remaining three are for hydrogen facilities. That translates to more than 7,500 new charging ports, the Joint Office says.

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