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President Biden announces $5 billion funding for national EV charging network

Posted: 15 February 2022 | | No comments yet

Established as part of Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the new funding marks an important step towards making electric vehicle charging accessible to all Americans.

ride-hailing EV charging

On 10 February 2022, the U.S. President, Joe Biden, along with the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy, announced that nearly $5 billion in funding will be made available under the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program – established by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – to build a national electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

An important step towards making EV charging accessible to all Americans, the programme will provide the funding over a period of five years, to help states to create a network of EV charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, particularly along the Interstate Highway System.

The total amount available to states in Fiscal Year 2022 under the NEVI Formula Program is $615 million. A second, competitive grant programme – designed to further increase EV charging access in locations throughout the country, including in rural and underserved communities – will also be announced in late 2022.

“We are modernising America’s national highway system for drivers in cities large and small, towns and rural communities, to take advantage of the benefits of driving electric,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is helping states to make electric vehicle charging more accessible, by building the necessary infrastructure for drivers across America to save money and go the distance, from coast-to-coast.”

In order to access these new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds – and to help to ensure a convenient, reliable, affordable and equitable charging experience for all users – each state is required to submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan to the new Joint Office of Energy and Transportation that describes how the state intends to use its share of NEVI Formula Program funds, consistent with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidance.

These plans are expected to build on Alternative Fuel Corridors that nearly every state has designated over the past six years of the programme. These corridors will be the spine of the new national EV charging network. The joint office will play a key role in the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program by providing direct technical assistance and support to help states to develop their plans before they are reviewed and approved by the Federal Highway Administration, which administers the funding.

“Americans need to know that they can purchase an electric vehicle and find convenient charging stations when they are using interstates and other major highways,” Deputy Federal Highway Administrator, Stephanie Pollack, said. “The new EV formula programme will provide states with the resources that hey need to provide their residents with reliable access to an EV charging station as they travel.”