35 state plans on EV infrastructure get approval ahead of schedule

The Biden administration on Wednesday approved more than two-thirds of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure plans submitted by states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico ahead of schedule.

Thirty-five of the 52 EV infrastructure deployment plans submitted by states are now approved as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. NEVI was created and funded by the $1 trillion infrastructure law enacted in November.

The program makes $5 billion available over the next five years to help states achieve Biden’s goal of 500,000 EV charging stations across the U.S. by 2030.

States with plans now approved can gain access to more than $900 million in funding in 2022-23 to build EV chargers across roughly 53,000 miles of U.S. highway, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

States had until Aug. 1 to submit EV infrastructure deployment plans to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, created by the U.S. Energy and Transportation departments in December to assist with planning and implementation of a national EV charging network, including distributing funds to states.

— Audrey LaForest