One of the biggest issues hampering the more widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. is our iffy public charging network. For starters, stations are notoriously unreliable, but they can also be hard to come by, and if you do find a good one, it could well be super crowded when you pull in to juice up. To help improve this situation, the U.S. Department of Transportation set up a $5 billion grant program to build more EV charges, though on February 6 it was announced that this funding has been pulled.
Federal Funding Suspended
In a letter titled “Suspending Approval Of State Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plans,” the Department of Transportation spells out that the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program has essentially been cancelled. The document states, “The new leadership of the Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program. Accordingly, the current NEVI Formula Program Guidance dated June 11, 2024, and all prior versions of this guidance are rescinded.” This news is sudden, though not entirely unexpected given President Trump’s promised policies.
Part of the Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act, this $5 billion allocated for the NEVI Formula Program was intended to be dolled out to states over a five-year period, so they can “strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and to establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability.” So far, around $3.3 billion of that funding has been allocated to states, though not all of it has been spent. What happens to this funding going forward is not entirely clear.
“States Will Be Held Harmless” If Existing Plans Are Ignored
“As [a] result of the rescission of the NEVI Formula Program Guidance, FHWA is also immediately suspending the approval of all State Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment plans for all fiscal years,” the letter also says. “Since FHWA is suspending the existing State plans, States will be held harmless for not implementing their existing plans. Until new guidance is issued, reimbursement of existing obligations will be allowed in order to not disrupt current financial commitments.”
President Trump’s second term has been off to a chaotic start. He has signed a flurry of executive orders, many of which are controversial, and some of which are of questionable legality. Whether Trump or his appointees have the authority to disrupt funds that have already been allocated by Congress to things like the NEVI Formula Program remains to be seen. Issues like this are being addressed by the courts, but this process takes time, so buckle up for what could be a bumpy ride, especially if you were hoping for a more reliable and widespread electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Read the full article here