Biden’s Administration has earmarked USD623 million from the “Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program” for the roll out of charging and alternative refueling infrastructure. The funding is made possible through the 2021 USD2.5 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and follows the release of an initial USD700 million in March 2023.

A Range of Projects

The USD623 million will go to 47 EV charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, this includes the construction of 7,500 charging points. The funding is equally split into two areas, USD311 million to 36 ‘community’ projects investing in EV charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in high-use locations across urban and rural communities. The other USD312 million will go to 11 ‘corridor’ projects located along specific roadways designated as alternative fuel corridors, aiming to fill gaps in the core national charging network.

The Funding Environment

The CFI funding complements the USD5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) programme which provides funding to states to strategically deploy charging stations and establish an interconnected nationwide network. Subsequently, all CFI charging points must be built to the same requirements as NEVI points. The NEVI scheme focuses on providing fast charging stations along roadways, whereas the majority of the CFI funding will concentrate on charging and alternative refuelling infrastructure in high-use areas such as schools, parks and libraries. The first NEVI-funded charge points came online in October 2023, nearly two years after the funding was first announced, there has been no indication of timelines for this current CFI program.

Since 2021, private companies have announced more than USD155 billion in investments in the EV and battery supply chain. Additionally, Biden aims to have at least 500,000 publicly available chargers by 2030, encouraging the transition to EVs.

Rho’s Evaluation

The US currently has…

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Image credit: Adobe Stock