Electric Vehicles

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation or JOET – jointly operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Energy – has issued $46.5 million in grants to 30 projects across 16 states and Washington, D.C, to help develop electric vehicle or EV infrastructure in rural, urban, and tribal communities as well as expand what it calls the “clean energy” workforce.

[Above image via the JOET]

The JOET added that this funding will also address barriers to charging in multifamily housing facilities, explore new approaches to curbside charging in urban areas, promote seamless connections across modes through e-mobility hubs, and test new incentive structures to provide affordable public charging access.

“[We are] proud to fund these game-changing clean transportation projects in communities across the country,” said Gabe Klein, the JOET’s executive director, in a statement.

“These investments ensure we can meet unique local needs, create good-paying jobs, innovate new business models, test products thoroughly, and work towards our goal of making it easy for everyone to ride and drive electric,” he added.

The JOET has also helped developed a variety of resources to help support the expansion of EV infrastructure across the country.

For example, in conjunction with the USDOT, the JOET helped issue a technical resource in July 2023 designed to aid larger communities take full advantage of federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations and other forms of electric transportation.

That guide – called “Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Urban Electric Mobility Infrastructure” – provides a comprehensive resource for communities, metropolitan planning organizations, transportation providers, businesses, and property owners and developers by including information on how to scope, plan, and identify ways to best leverage billions of dollars in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA.

It follows on the heels of the Rural EV toolkit originally issued by the USDOT in 2022 and later updated in 2023. 

The toolkit builds on the efforts of the Joint Office to provide states and communities across America with information and assistance to accelerate an electrified transportation system that is convenient, affordable, reliable, and equitable. It also includes guidance to help urban areas implement other forms of electric transportation, such as public transit, electric bikes and scooters, and ride-share services, USDOT said.  

Fourteen state departments of transportation are plugging into more than $141 million in Federal Highway Administration grants to repair or replace thousands of electric vehicle or EV charging ports via the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program.

[Above photo by Caltrans]

The California Department of Transportation – known as Caltrans – leads the list in the amount of money received and will get $63.7 million to put 1,302 EV ports back in service; solidifying California’s role in leading the nation in EV infrastructure development.

California has 43,503 public EV charging ports at 15,571 stations, representing more than 25 percent of all EV infrastructure in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.

The money “will allow California to continue to lead the nation in zero-emission-vehicle adoption, increasing reliability and cutting planet-warming pollution,” explained Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, in a news release.

Across the country, about 8,700 public charging ports at 4,500 stations are unavailable because of maintenance issues. These grants, under the umbrella of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI formula program, will repair or replace almost half of those ports.

As of January 30, there were 162,924 operational public EV charging ports in the country, representing a 26 percent increase from January 2023. The Biden administration’s goal with the NEVI program is to get 500,000 EV chargers online by the end of the decade.

In California, the repaired and replaced chargers will be deployed at existing charging stations in urban and rural areas and along Alternative Fuel Corridors, noted Caltrans Information Officer Nicole Mowers.

“Policies and investments across the state have made California the nation’s leader in electric vehicle deployments, sales percentages, and public charging infrastructure,” she explained. “Actions at the federal level, including historic funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and actions in other states are supporting rapid growth in EVs across the country.”

The Indiana Department of Transportation received $778,600 to repair or replace 55 charging ports. INDOT is participating in the program and has partnered with other government and non-profit groups, including Drive Clean Indiana.

“It was a collaborative partnership with INDOT to put in the grant application,” said Ryan Lisek, program director for Drive Clean Indiana. “I think it’s great that, in the heartland of America, we were able to get these funds.”

Although the program was for replacing – not adding – EV charging ports, Indiana will be able to add two ports each at about 20 stations, he noted. The grant guidelines allow for new ports to be added at existing stations if the new ports and parking areas meet accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disability Act.

Increasing capacity is important for a state like Indiana, which doesn’t have the EV ownership numbers or infrastructure of states like California, Lisek said. Indiana has 6.6 million registered vehicles, but only about 24,000 EVs.

“I think it comes down to, if you want people to come to your home state and you want good paying jobs and have good economic development to attract folks, you need to have this EV infrastructure,” he emphasized. “You want to be able to attract new technology.”

Other state DOTs that received grants for EV charger fixes via this round of grant funding include:

• New York State Department of Transportation: $13 million for 335 ports
• Washington State? Department of Transportation: $10.1 million for 560 ports
• Oregon Department of Transportation: $10 million for 421 ports
• Colorado Department of Transportation: $8.3 million for 363 ports
• Illinois Department of Transportation: $7.1 million for 110 ports
• Hawaii Department of Transportation: $6.9 million for 74 ports
• New Jersey Department of Transportation: $6 million for 247 ports
• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation: $5 million for 293 ports
• Maryland Department of Transportation: $4.4 million for 44 ports
• Utah Department of Transportation: $3.4 million for 77 ports
• Michigan Department of Transportation: $1.8 million for 170 ports
• New Hampshire Department of Transportation: $683,000 for 4 ports

The FHWA’s grant program also awarded $5.3 million to local and regional agencies to repair or replace another 223 ports.

The Federal Highway Administration recently awarded nearly $150 million to 24 grant recipients in 20 states to make existing electric vehicle or EV charging infrastructure more reliable.

[Above photo by the FHWA]

The agency said that grant funding will go towards repairing or replacing nearly 4,500 existing EV charging ports nationwide and, in some cases, bringing them up to code. The FHWA said those targeted investments complement the billions in federal and private sector funding already issued to help reach President Biden’s ’s goal of bringing at least 500,000 public EV chargers online by the end of the decade.

The funding for this $150 million grant award comes from the new “EV Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator” program within the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI formula program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The FHWA initially made $100 million available via a notice of funding opportunity or NOFO in September 2023 to help states and localities repair and replace existing but non-operational EV charging systems.

That NOFO stipulated a 10 percent set-aside for states or localities that require additional assistance to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure. As a result, the agency said this first round of EV charger repair/replacement funding focuses on improving the reliability and accessibility of the current EV charging network.

“Charging your electric vehicle should be as easy and convenient as filling up a gas tank – and these grants will help do that by making our EV charging network more reliable,” said FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt in a statement. “We’re building a bigger and better EV charging network to keep up with driver demand, and we’re also ensuring the existing network works when you need a charge.”

FHWA is coordinating with the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation or JOET – an office overseen by both the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Energy – as it supports the build-out of an EV recharging network across the United States.

“Making it easy for everyone to ride and drive electric means making sure that drivers can always count on EV charging stations to work when they’re needed,” added Gabe Klein, JOET executive director. “Repairing and replacing existing stations gives drivers the confidence they need to choose electric, complementing the buildout of much-needed, new infrastructure while creating good jobs across the country.”

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently published an online map marking the locations for the first batch of electric vehicle or EV charging stations funded through the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI formula program.

[Above photo by NCDOT]

The agency said its online map identifies the 11 locations along the alternative fuel corridor that will comprise Phase 1 of the project. NCDOT identified the 11 locations because they will fill the gaps where fewer EV charging stations currently exist and serve a more geographically diverse group of people in both rural and urban areas. 

Each location on the GIS map represents a cluster of one or more exits along the alternative fuel corridor, NCDOT said – and applicants must locate proposed charging stations within the designated clusters, with one charging station per cluster. 

The agency noted that it received $109 million in NEVI funds to develop the network along interstates, major highways and in communities. The funds are to be used to reimburse businesses for project costs, including procurement, installation and operation of EV charging stations.

NCDOT said Phase 1 of its EV charging network buildout will involve installation of DC Fast Chargers along interstates and major highways, along the alternative fuel corridors designated by the Federal Highway Administration. Those DC Fast Chargers will be able to charge an electric vehicle in about 20 minutes.

Phase 2 will then involve the build out of community-based DC fast chargers and Level 2 chargers that take between four and eight hours to fully charge an EV.

The agency added that expects to fully build out the state’s EV charging infrastructure over the next seven years.

“The build out of the EV charging stations will help our state advance clean transportation and be a great economic opportunity for businesses of all sizes,” said Paula Hemmer, NCDOT’s statewide initiative senior engineer, in a statement. “The map gives businesses an opportunity to determine where it would be economically feasible to build and operate EV charging stations,” she noted. “There are a lot of things to consider like whether a site is easily accessible to all travelers and a site’s proximity to amenities like restaurants and hotels.” 

In February, NCDOT said it expects to issue a request for proposals for people interested in applying for funds for Phase 1 of the EV charger installation.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is spending $1.75 million to help companies, schools, apartment building owners, small towns, and other groups build 370 new public Level 2 electric vehicle or EV charging ports in rural and disadvantaged areas.

[Above photo by the Oregon DOT]

The Community Charging Rebates Program is one way Oregon DOT is trying to beef up the state’s EV charging infrastructure to simultaneously encourage and meet the demand for zero-emission vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A 2022 Oregon DOT study noted that the state will need about 17,000 Level 2 charging ports by 2025 to meet a goal of 250,000 registered EVs in the state.

Under the program, which is 100 percent state funded, organizations can get rebates of up to 75 percent of the cost of buying and installing EV charging stations at multifamily homes and public parking areas. ODOT reserved 70 percent of the first funding round to applicants who would build EV charging stations in rural or disadvantaged communities.

“Some sections of the state have EV charging gaps,” noted Oregon DOT spokesman Matt Noble. “These are populations we serve that haven’t seen the level of EV infrastructure investment as other areas.”

Of the 94 projects receiving awards via this program, 79 are in rural or disadvantaged communities, according to an agency statement. Noble added the response to the program was “overwhelmingly positive,” so Oregon DOT plans to do a second round of funding in March 2024.

The money for the Community Charging Rebates program is from a $100 million federal-state fund the Oregon Transportation Commission created in 2022 to build out the EV charging infrastructure. Most of that money is going toward Alternative Fuel Corridors; routes approved by the Federal Highway Administration where states may use federal funding to build alternative fuel infrastructure. In Oregon, those routes include seven interstate highways.

The remaining $36 million – all state cash – is being used to build charging stations in places that are not along those corridors. By growing the charging infrastructure in those areas, the Oregon DOT is hoping to overcome one of the biggest hurdles to EV ownership: range anxiety.

Oregon has more than doubled the number of registered EVs in the state since 2020, from less than 23,000 to about 51,000, according to statistics from the Oregon Department of Energy. There are about 2,800 Level 2 and fast-charging ports across the state, a ratio of one port for every 18 vehicles.

That’s fewer than the national average of about 15 vehicles per port, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy.

For a broader look at EV infrastructure advancement, the Alternative Fuels Data Center – operated by the DOE – maintains state-by-state information on the number and types of EV stations and ports, as well as a breakdown of all alternative fuel stations, such as biodiesel and propane.

Other state departments of transportation are also engaging in efforts to build out EV support infrastructure.

For example, the Utah Department of Transportation recently announced plans to double the state’s current fast charging capacity for electric vehicles by the end of 2024 with the addition of 15 new sites funded through the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI Formula Program launched in 2022.

Since 2015, the agency said the number of EVs in Utah has grown by an average of 48 percent year over year – and the rate of growth is climbing. To meet this increasing need, the Utah DOT – together with the Utah Office of Energy Development – identified 15 strategic sites for EV fast chargers on major state roads. In response, private entities submitted 75 applications to match their private fund with NEVI funding.

Meanwhile, the Maryland Department of Transportation introduced a new tool in June to help local governments and agencies dip into $2.5 billion in federal grants to build an electric vehicle or EV charging network.

The agency’s EV Charger Siting Tool is a map-based website that helps the user select those communities and charging sites in Maryland that have the best chance of securing grants under Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure or CFI discretionary grant program, funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021.

The tool consolidates geographic data on existing chargers, registered EV users, disadvantaged communities, alternative fuel corridors, and “marginalized and underserved communities targeted for investment to address climate change and clean energy needs,” the Maryland DOT noted.

The Utah Department of Transportation plans to double the state’s current fast charging capacity for electric vehicles by the end of 2024 with the addition of 15 new sites funded through the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI Formula Program launched in 2022.

[Above image by Utah DOT]

Since 2015, the agency said the number of EVs in Utah has grown by an average of 48 percent year over year – and the rate of growth is climbing. To meet this increasing need, the Utah DOT – together with the Utah Office of Energy Development – identified 15 strategic sites for EV fast chargers on major state roads. In response, private entities submitted 75 applications to match their private fund with NEVI funding.

[Editor’s note: The Federal Highway Administration issued final approvals for EV infrastructure deployment plans submitted by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in September 2022; plans required in order to access NEVI funding. All of those plans were updated in 2023 to include details regarding ongoing transportation electrification projects.]

The agency – which awarded NEVI program grants for those 15 sites in mid-November – said that fast charging site expansion should allow EV owners to travel anywhere along Utah’s interstates, US-6, and US-191.

“The future is coming, and these 15 new fast charging sites will ensure Utah will be ready for it,” explained Utah DOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras in a statement. “Building out the statewide charging network really opens the door to let Utahns choose to travel where they want, when they want, in the way they want.”

He noted that creating a charging network of this magnitude requires a team effort between the federal government, the state of Utah and private businesses. Utah is receiving about $36 million in federal funding, and – when combined with a minimum 20 percent private match – the program is expected to invest a total of $43 million in the state’s EV charging network.

In this first phase of the program, about $17.5 million will be invested in providing the traveling public with access to fast EV charging every 50 miles along Utah’s interstate highways. No state taxpayer dollars are being used in this phase, as Utah DOT is entering into public-private partnerships to implement the project.

State departments of transportation across the country are engaged in a variety of efforts to support broader deployment of EVs.

For example, the Vermont Agency of Transportation is encouraging businesses, municipalities, and nonprofits to purchase or lease electric fleet vehicles by offering up to $5,000 in rebates for each plug-in EV that replaces an internal combustion engine-powered vehicle.

Concurrently, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is helping support the launch of the state’s first electric aircraft charging hub in early 2024 at Raleigh Executive Jetport in Sanford; a hub designed to be “multimodal” so it can charge not only electric aircraft but electric cars and trucks as well.

Meanwhile, Oregon residents living in multifamily homes as well as motorists near public parking areas may soon have better access to electric vehicle or EV charging stations, thanks to the new Community Charging Rebates Program being rolled out by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is encouraging businesses, municipalities, and nonprofits to purchase or lease electric fleet vehicles by offering up to $5,000 in rebates for each plug-in EV that replaces an internal combustion engine-powered vehicle.

[Above photo by VTrans]

The “Electrify Your Fleet” program is making $500,000 available to fleet owners to “help create a robust market in our state of used electric vehicles so that more EVs will be available more affordably,” explained VTrans Secretary Joe Flynn in a news release.

The state-funded program will make it easier for businesses, municipalities, and nonprofits to buy or lease EVs, “realizing long- term cost-savings, reduce climate impacts, keep more money in the local economy, and better serve customers, clients, and citizens,” he added.

The agency said 40 percent of that funding is earmarked for Vermont applicants who are from or who serve historically underserved communities. While most applicants will be capped at $2,500 per EV, nonprofits that provide Vermonters with transportation alternatives to personal vehicle ownership can get up to a $5,000 rebate per EV.

The amount of the rebate cannot exceed 25 percent of the vehicle purchased or leased. By combining the “Electrify Your Fleet” program benefits with local utility rebates and federal tax cuts for clean commercial vehicles, applicants can save as much as $10,000 per EV, according to VTrans.

The department added that it kicked off the program as one way to “electrify the transportation sector” and “accelerate the retirement of internal combustion engine vehicles.” By helping to reduce fossil-fueled transportation, which is the state’s largest contributor of carbon emissions, Vermont municipalities and business entities can “enjoy the benefits of cleaner transportation options,” VTrans pointed out.

Rebate recipients must “demonstrate that the incentives will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their fleet operations,” the agency said, with fleet owners required to keep the EVs for at least two years and agree to sell them through Vermont’s income-eligible incentive program for used vehicles.

The rebates also can be applied to electric bikes, electric motorcycles, and electric snowmobiles, VTrans stressed.

The program is scheduled to conclude in June 2024, but the agency said it may extend the program if more funding becomes available.

Many state departments of transportation across the country are engaged in similar efforts to help people, communities, and businesses accelerate the transition to EVs:

• The Oregon Department of Transportation has a community charging rebates program to defray the costs of Level 2 and Level 1 charging stations.
• The Maryland Department of Transportation has developed a tool to help local governments and agencies access $2.5 billion in federal grants to build an EV charging network.
• The North Carolina Department of Transportation is supporting a new multi-modal electric charging hub at a Raleigh airport.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, released a new free technical resource to help larger communities take full advantage of federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations and other forms of electric transportation.

[Above photo by the USDOT]

The new guide – called “Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Urban Electric Mobility Infrastructure” – provides a comprehensive resource for communities, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), transportation providers, businesses, and property owners and developers by including information on how to scope, plan, and identify ways to best leverage billions of dollars in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA.

It follows on the heels of the Rural EV toolkit originally issued by the USDOT in 2022 and later updated in 2023. 

The toolkit builds on the efforts of the Joint Office to provide states and communities across America with information and assistance to accelerate an electrified transportation system that is convenient, affordable, reliable, and equitable. It also includes guidance to help urban areas implement other forms of electric transportation, such as public transit, electric bikes and scooters, and ride-share services, USDOT said.  

In a statement, the USDOT said building an affordable and accessible public charging network will help make electric forms of transportation more convenient for the 71 percent of Americans who live in communities with a population over 50,000. While many EV owners can charge their vehicles at home or work, people who live in higher density areas, especially those living in apartments and condos, may not have easy access to a garage or the space for a private charger, which means they are more reliant on public charging options.  

In 2022, USDOT approved plans from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico to build a nationwide network of EV chargers, supported by $5 billion from the IIJA’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI program.

This spring, USDOT began the application process for the first $700 million of the total $2.5 billion in funding to build EV charging infrastructure in communities and neighborhoods across the country through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure or CFI grant program.

The Utah Electrification of Transportation Infrastructure Steering Committee recently met for the first time; a group created by the state legislature to help guide Utah’s installation of infrastructure that is both sustainable and economical to spur the state’s transition to electric transport.

[Above photo by the Utah DOT]

“We’re at a tipping point for electrification of transportation,” explained Carlos Braceras, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation and the committee’s chairman. “Our mission here is to help Utah residents live healthier lives by improving air quality while strengthening the economy.”

The state legislature’s bill that created the steering committee also provided $2.1 million to Utah State University’s Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification or “ASPIRE” to “lead the charge” in developing a community, state, and industry transportation action plan to improve air quality while enhancing the economy.

The Utah DOT noted in a statement that the ASPIRE Engineering Research Center – created in 2020 through a $25 million National Science Foundation grant, which is renewable to $50 million over 10 years – is forming an industry advisory board with representation across the industries, communities, and stakeholders affected by the shift to an electrified transportation system.

“We need tomorrow’s technologies to do this thing right,” said Dr. Regan Zane, director of ASPIRE, who also serves on the steering committee. “Now is the time to inject innovation into developing the future vision of our communities and transportation systems. This will inform critical decisions today on infrastructure investments to accelerate our path to clean air and a reduced cost to move people and goods.”

“The question we face now is how we transition to that electrified future,” added Utah DOT’s Braceras. “It’s a complicated process that requires careful planning and a coordinated approach across agencies, industries and communities to build a sustainable solution.”

State departments of transportation across the country are involved in a number of different efforts to help spur transportation system electrification.

For example, the Maryland Department of Transportation recently rolled out a new tool to help local governments and agencies dip into $2.5 billion in federal grants to build an electric vehicle or EV charging network.

The EV Charger Siting Tool is a map-based website that helps the user select those communities and charging sites in Maryland that have the best chance of securing grants under Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure or CFI discretionary grant program, funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021.

From a broader perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation recently released the finalized version of its North Carolina Clean Transportation Plan, outlining a roadmap to continue growing the state’s clean energy economy while reducing greenhouse gas or GHG emissions and investing in cleaner and more accessible transportation options for state residents.

The NCDOT said it worked with more than 220 stakeholders for more than a year to develop this draft plan – mandated by Governor Roy Cooper (D) via Executive Order 246 issued January 2022 – which explores strategies to advance clean transportation investments and workforce development statewide.

In a more targeted fashion, the Oregon Department of Transportation recently introduced a rebate plan for state residents living in multifamily homes as well as motorists near public parking areas to spur access to EV charging stations.

The Oregon DOT said the rebate offered by its new Community Charging Rebates Program will range from $4,250 to $5,500 per charging port or up to 75 percent of eligible project costs, whichever is less, to help lower the cost of buying, installing, and maintaining Level 2 and Level 1 EV charging stations.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials held a knowledge session at its 2022 Annual Meeting that featured panelists from the Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida DOTs discussing their respective plans for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI program funds – one part of their concerted efforts to help support transport electrification.

In September 2022, the Federal Highway Administration issued final approvals for the EV infrastructure deployment plans submitted by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Those plan approvals allow all of those 52 transportation departments to unlock more than $900 million in fiscal year 2022 and 2023 NEVI funding.