DOT, DOE announce $5 billion to help states build EV charging infrastructure

The Biden administration announced Feb. 10 nearly $5 billion that will be made available to help states create a network of electric vehicle charging stations along designated corridors as part of the president's goal to build 500,000 charging stations by 2030.

The funding was included in the bipartisan infrastructure law and will be made available under the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. The funds will be provided over five years, with $615 million made available to states in fiscal year 2022, according to a statement from the US Department of Transportation.

"We are modernizing 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," US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in the statement.

A senior administration official told reporters Feb. 9 that the funding has served not only as a down payment but as a "catalyst" that has already helped spur action on charging infrastructure buildout.

"I think we're fully confident that with this investment that has been delivered on a bipartisan basis we will absolutely achieve the president's target of 500,000 chargers," the official said.

State plans

Each state must submit an electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plan to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation – a new office formed by DOT and the US Department of Energy -- before receiving the federal funds. That office will further serve to offer technical assistance as states develop their plans before they are reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration, the agency responsible for authorizing the funding.

State deployment plans are due by Aug. 1, and eligible plans will be approved by Sept. 30, according to a guidance document on the formula program.

State corridors will be required to have electric vehicle charging infrastructure installed every 50 miles along portions of the interstate highway system unless there is an exception, according to the guidance. Those ports must be able to simultaneously charge four electric vehicles.

These charging stations will be built along designated alternative fuel corridors, which 40 states have designated in recent years, especially along interstate highways. Once the national network is complete, funds can be shifted to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure on public roads.

Another senior administration official said the federal government will also announce a request for nominations for the sixth round of alternative fuel corridors, which will "form the spine of the national network of EV charging stations." Those corridors include portions of 134 interstates and 125 US highways.

Grant program

The bipartisan infrastructure law included about $7.5 billion for electric vehicle buildout. The remaining $2.5 billion will support a discretionary grant program for charging and fueling infrastructure that will be announced later this year.

The discretionary grant program will include $1.25 billion to "strategically deploy publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure and hydrogen, propane, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors," according to the guidance. The remaining $1.25 billion will focus on deploying such infrastructure in communities.