In recent years, federal funding has played a significant role in the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure across the United States. In November 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, launching a suite of climate and transportation initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Among them was the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, a cornerstone effort designed to create a nationwide network of EV charging stations and reduce the “range anxiety” that has historically slowed EV adoption. Over five years, the NEVI program promised $5 billion in formula funding to states to build charging infrastructure along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. With $3.3 billion already distributed, NEVI signaled an ambitious federal commitment to electrifying transportation.
Now, that vision stands at a crossroads. Recent funding freezes under the new administration have left state transportation departments in limbo as they await updated guidance from the Federal Highway Administration. While NEVI is just one of many environmental programs facing policy uncertainty, its fate has outsized implications for America's transition to clean energy, with billions in federal funding hanging in the balance.
Implementation Challenges
With transportation accounting for nearly 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States—the largest share of any sector—leaders across different disciplines have recognized the urgent need for robust EV charging infrastructure. Currently, there are approximately 192,000 publicly available charging ports nationwide, with about 1,000 new chargers being installed weekly. This pace, however, falls dramatically short of what's needed. According to the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the United States will need approximately 1.2 million public chargers by 2030 to support projected EV adoption. The NEVI program was specifically designed to accelerate this deployment and create a backbone network of fast chargers along highway corridors. Yet progress has been slow: by late-2024, only nine states had opened fully operational NEVI-funded charging stations.
This implementation gap stems from several persistent barriers:
- First, companies that win funding through the federal program cannot implement it consistently across the country because they must navigate the unique rules and procedures of each state's regulators and bureaucracies. Each station requires approvals from local building departments, utilities, and sometimes environmental review boards.
- Second, utility infrastructure often requires substantial upgrades to deliver the power needed for fast chargers, with interconnection studies and grid reinforcement taking months or even years.
- Third, the NEVI program's "Buy America" requirements, which requires that EV supply equipment contain more than 55% domestic content and be manufactured in the United States, have created concerns for supply chain bottlenecks in U.S. manufactured components.
These barriers have slowed deployment even before policy uncertainty entered the picture. Now, with federal funding in limbo, these structural hurdles are compounded by an unclear policy landscape.
The Current Crossroads
The administration's February 2025 decision to pause new NEVI obligations has added another layer of complexity to an already challenging rollout. While existing contracts will still be honored, no new funding obligations are being issued. As a result, projects in the middle of contract negotiations have been forced to abruptly halt, with no clear timeline for when they might resume or whether they will be reimbursed at all. This has thrown state Departments of Transportation into chaos, creating confusion over how to proceed. Some states, such as Arkansas, Michigan, South Carolina, and Vermont, have chosen to pause their NEVI programs entirely. Others like Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Texas are opting to move forward despite the uncertainty. State DOTs across the country are pressing the Trump Administration for clarity on whether reimbursement for future expenses will be honored, but legal ambiguities have made the situation increasingly tricky.
At the same time, private investment in EV infrastructure is continuing to grow. Companies like Walmart, Hertz, and BP have announced ambitious plans to install thousands of chargers nationwide. However, these plans are largely concentrated in urban centers and commercial hubs that promise high returns on investment. Rural areas and underserved communities, where EV adoption is lower, are often left behind. This is where NEVI’s role becomes even more critical, as it was specifically designed to fill those gaps and ensure an EV transition that is national in scope.
Looking Ahead
While NEVI isn’t the only program working to expand EV infrastructure in the United States, its stalling sends an unsettling signal to potential EV buyers. Range anxiety doesn’t just stem from a lack of chargers. It grows when drivers lose confidence that a reliable, nationwide charging network will ever come to fruition. Last fall, ELI convened a panel of experts to discuss some of these challenges, along with the legal and policy opportunities for an equitable transition toward sustainable transportation.
The future of NEVI and EV charging infrastructure more broadly will ultimately rely on creative problem solving. This may first take the form of pursuing legal action against the Trump Administration for violating federal procedures. It could also involve public-private partnerships where states expand charging networks independent of federal funding. Meanwhile, industry leaders continue to invest, though with an eye toward profitability rather than equity. State and federal leadership will be essential in bridging these efforts to ensure underserved areas are not left behind in the transition.
Regardless of how the NEVI program unfolds, the long-term demand for EV charging isn’t going away. The path forward may become more decentralized or more attuned to state-level leadership. But for now, the nation’s charging ambitions are caught in a moment of deep uncertainty at a time when certainty has never been more urgently needed.