$104.4M available to NJ from feds for electric vehicle infrastructure

New Jersey will have access to $104.4 million under the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program established by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to build out an electric vehicle charging network, the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy announced Feb. 9.

The program makes $5 billion available nationwide over five years for the development of a national network.

New Jersey currently has 378 miles of pending and ready EV corridors, the USDOT said. The additional funding will give New Jersey the opportunity to significantly expand EV chargers statewide.

The total amount available to states in Fiscal Year 2022 under the NEVI Formula Program is $615 million.

States must submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan before they can access these funds. A second competitive grant program designed to further increase EV charging access in locations throughout the country will be announced later this year.

“A century ago, America ushered in the modern automotive era; now America must lead the electric vehicle revolution,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a prepared statement. “The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help us win the EV race by working with states, labor, and the private sector to deploy a historic nationwide charging network that will make EV charging accessible for more Americans.”

“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,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in a prepared statement. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is helping states to make electric vehicle charging more accessible by building the necessary infrastructure for drivers across America to save money and go the distance, from coast-to-coast.”

To access the funds, each state is required to submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan to the new Joint Office of Energy and Transportation that describes how the state intends to use its share of NEVI Formula Program funds consistent with Federal Highway Administration guidance.

Alternative Fuel Corridors, designated by nearly every state over the past six years of this program, will be the spine of the new national EV charging network, and the plans will build on those corridors.

“Americans need to know that they can purchase an electric vehicle and find convenient charging when they are using Interstates and other major highways,” said Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “The new EV formula program will provide states with the resources they need to provide their residents with reliable access to an EV charging station as they travel.”