Federal government suspends national electric vehicle charging program
US Sector Transportation has ordered that state-related implementation plans be killed National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Programaccording to a memo obtained by Wired, it was later It has been published. This decision appears to be stopped on that track. Electric car Charging stations across the US.
Officials with the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) that administers the program ordered a “ccusation” of the state’s transportation directors. All 50 states plan It outlined where and how to build charging stations, and the companies they would contract to do so. The state follows these plans to build more than 30 charging stations across the United States, with hundreds more.
Research shows that future car buyers cite the country’s lagging electric vehicle charging infrastructure as the main reason they don’t buy electricity. Nevi Programme Founded by Infrastructure Act 2021was the government’s answer to these concerns. that I’m trying to build a charger It focuses on locations along thousands of miles of federal highways where it may not be able to financially support your chargers.
The president’s traffic official said in the memo. Donald Trump’s Management creates all new guidance for the program and goes through a public comment period. The timeline suggests that work on federally funded electric vehicle charger networks could be suspended for several months.
Orders may be illegal. It could fly in the face of a court order asking the Trump administration to “frozen” funds to prevent federal funds from flowing to state agencies. It may also violate the Control Procedure Act, which requires an agency to follow legal procedures before taking action.
“There is no legal basis for funds allocated to the state to build a “exempt” project based on policy,” says Andrew Rogers, former assistant administrator and chief advisor for the Federal Highways Agency. Masu.
The US DOT did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It is unclear how DOT orders will affect charging stations under construction. In the letter, FHWA officials wrote, “No new obligations may arise,” and the possibility that even if the state has been allocated federal funds, they may not sign a new contract with the state. It suggests that there is. The letter states that “refunds for existing obligations will be permitted” because the program is going through a review process, and that the state may be allowed to repay businesses already serving it. It suggests that there is.
Billions of federal funding have already been paid under the program. Money went to both red and blue states. Last year, top fundraising recipients included Florida, New York, Texas, Georgia and Ohio.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has spent the past few weeks as the so-called federal prime minister Government Efficiency Bureau Instructs “audit” and reductions to federal spending. However, his electric vehicle company has received a $31 million award from the Nevi program. According to The database maintained by transport personnel accounts for 6% of the funds awarded so far.
The Trump administration said it plans to target electric vehicles and EV-related programs. an Presidential order signed by Trump Such federal policies never existed, but he argued that he would eliminate “EV mandate” on his first day.
The NEVI project took longer to get off the ground than building other charging stations because the federal government intended to allocate funds to proven businesses. Request a partnership firsta group of companies and organizations working to recharge electric vehicles. If Nevi’s funds are not paid, “it hurts the companies that spend the time and money investing in this program,” he says.
Updated February 6th: 8pm: Link added once it’s published in FHWA memo. We also added additional context for Tesla, which won the award from Nevi.