EV Charging Station Program Halted, Leaving States Unsure

A program to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging stations along major highways is in jeopardy after a recent memo from the Federal Highway Administration to all states suspending its funding.

The memo suspends approval of state EV charging deployment plans and rescinds all guidance to states for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program that was initiated as part of the Biden administration’s ambitious plan to reduce air pollution and increase the number of EVs on the road.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $7.5 billion in NEVI funding for the “acquisition, installation, and network connection of EV charging stations”. The initial focus is for states to develop networks of fast-charging stations every 50 miles along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs), which are heavily traveled major highways. More than 1,800 miles of Pennsylvania roadways have been designated as alternative fuels corridors.

As part of an executive order signed on his first day in office, incoming President Donald Trump revoked the Biden target of having EVs account for half of all vehicle sales by 2030. The order also directed elimination of “unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies and effectively mandate their purchase by individuals, private businesses, and government entities alike by rendering other types of vehicles unaffordable.”

The Pa. Department of Transportation was set to receive $171.5 million in NEVI funds over the next five years to build 150 charging stations across the state. To date, 91 projects in 43 counties throughout the state are under contract, and include a total federal investment of $59.0 million. Five stations are operating, 14 are being built, and the remainder are in the planning and design phase.

Under the program, each state’s yearly plan for using the money must be approved by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. That process is now suspended while program guidelines are reviewed. While no new obligations can be made, the memo says states be reimbursed for existing commitments.

“We are continuing to evaluate the FHWA memo issued February 6th for potential impacts to Pennsylvania’s NEVI program. At present, we anticipate that the 91 NEVI projects currently under contract with federal funds already obligated will continue to move forward,” PennDOT Deputy Communications Director Zachary Appleby said in a statement.