Funding from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Continues to Build a National EV Charging Network that is Convenient, Reliable, and Made in America
WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced it is awarding nearly $150 million to 24 grant recipients in 20 states to make existing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure more reliable. The grants will be used to repair or replace nearly 4,500 existing EV charging ports and in some cases, bring them up to code. These targeted investments complement the ten of billions in Federal and private sector funding that is building out a national EV charging network, and support good paying jobs across the country installing, maintaining, and repairing EV infrastructure. Todays’ announcement is the latest milestone towards the President’s goal of bringing at least 500,000 public EV chargers online by the end of the decade.
“The EV revolution is here. To make the most of it we must ensure that everyone, from the largest cities to the most rural communities, has access to reliable EV charging infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These grants bring us another step closer to a national EV charging network that keeps up with the EV transition that’s well underway.”
The funding for today’s awards is part of President Bident’s Investing in America agenda and comes from a new program from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program that was newly created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. NEVI is a $5 billion program administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and supported by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to help States build out EV charging.
Program rules stipulate a 10% set-aside for States or localities that require additional assistance to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure. This first round of funding focuses on improving the reliability and accessibility of the current network by repairing or replacing existing EV charging infrastructure. This funding direly complements larger-scale investments being made by the Biden-Harris Administration and by private companies to construct new charging stations.
“Increasing reliable access to EV charging is key to increasing EV adoption,” said US DOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “Today’s announcement is another investment in a national network that will be interconnected, interoperable, user-friendly, accessible, affordable, and reliable.”
“Charging your electric vehicle should be as easy and convenient as filling up a gas tank – and these grants will help do that by making our EV charging network more reliable,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “We’re building a bigger and better EV charging network to keep up with driver demand, and we’re also ensuring the existing network works when you need a charge.”
“Making it easy for everyone to ride and drive electric means making sure that drivers can always count on EV charging stations to work when they’re needed,” said Gabe Klein, Executive Director of the Joint Office. “Repairing and replacing existing stations gives drivers the confidence they need to choose electric, complementing the buildout of much-needed, new infrastructure while creating good jobs across the country.”
Eligible applicants and projects for the EV Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program were outlined in a Notice of Funding Opportunity published in September 2023. For a full list of grant recipients, please visit the FHWA website.