The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy this week announced nearly $5 billion that will be made available under the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
The program—established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—aims to build out a national electric vehicle charging network, with a goal of making electric vehicle (EV) charging accessible to all Americans.
According to U.S. DOT, the program will provide nearly $5 billion over five years to help states 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 FY 2022 under the NEVI Formula Program is $615 million.
A second, competitive grant program designed to further increase EV charging access in locations throughout the country, including in rural and underserved communities, will be announced later this year.
“A century ago, America ushered in the modern automotive era; now America must lead the electric vehicle revolution,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help us win the EV race by working with states, labor, and the private sector to deploy a historic nationwide charging network that will make EV charging accessible for more Americans.”
To access the available funding, 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 guidance, U.S. DOT says.
These plans are expected to build on Alternative Fuel Corridors that nearly every state has designated over the past six years of this program. U.S. DOT expects these corridors to be the spine of the new national EV charging network.
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SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation
