$5B Electric Vehicle Charging Program Halted by Trump Administration$5B Electric Vehicle Charging Program Halted by Trump Administration

The Federal Highway Administration has put the brakes on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI), halting the future deployment of EV charging infrastructure nationwide, in the latest change the Trump Administration has executed.

NEVI, enacted in early 2022, was established by President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Law designed to build a national electric vehicle charging network as an important step toward making EV charging more widely accessible.

The program was designed to provide $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.

But now that is on hold. 

A memo sent to the State Department of Transportation directors on Feb. 6 from Emily Biondi from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, announced the suspension.

“The new leadership of the Department of Transportation (DOT) has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program,” the memo stated.  “Accordingly, the current NEVI Formula Program Guidance dated June 11, 2024, and all prior versions of this guidance are rescinded.” 

The memo stated that with the NEVI program being rescinded, FHWA immediately suspended the approval for all state electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plans. 

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“Therefore, effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved,” it said. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Tuesday that any NEVI obligation currently made, or contracts signed, would be funded.  

Charge Ahead Partnership spokesman Ryan McKinnon said NEVI helped states jump start their investment in EV charging. Charge Ahead members include thousands of fuel retailers across the country including those participating in the NEVI program.

“In many states, the NEVI program helped jumpstart investment in high-speed EV charging stations, getting high-speed chargers at the gas stations and truck stops where millions of drivers already stop every year,” McKinnon said in a statement. “Other states dragged their feet or awarded grants to locations where no one would stop.

McKinnon said while NEVI did not solve the challenges the industry faced with EV charging, the program was a step in the right direction by prioritizing establishments making a long-term investment in EV charging in places where drivers would use the chargers.

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“We hope the FHWA takes this opportunity to ensure state NEVI plans are encouraging private investment in EV charging while also being confident that federal funds are not being wasted.”