Applications Open for $1.3 Billion in Funding to Expand National Electric Vehicle Charging Network
Posted by Grant Coordinator on May. 31, 2024 / Awards & Grants / Subscribe 0
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden-Harris Administration opened applications for a historic $1.3 billion funding opportunity for electric vehicle (EV) charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure in urban and rural communities and along designated highways, interstates, and major roadways. This is the largest single grant funding opportunity for EV charging in the nation’s history and it will accelerate public and private investment in clean transportation in the places where people live, work, and play.
This funding opportunity is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s signature EV charging investments: the $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program and funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program that are set aside for strategic grants to states and local governments to deploy EV chargers. Supported by unifying guidance and technical assistance from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office), the CFI program is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and is open to state, regional, Tribal, and local government entities.
This funding opportunity is a critical pillar to the Administration’s charging strategy and addresses needs for charging at multi-family housing and destinations where vehicles are parked. CFI also allows applicants not eligible for NEVI to get needed funding, which is critical to ensuring federal dollars help disadvantaged communities join the EV revolution. The investments from CFI also help support zero-emission freight infrastructure, helping implement the National Zero-Emission Freight Strategy.
These efforts are helping deploy a network of convenient, reliable Level 2 and DC fast EV chargers across the country—along with the good paying jobs building and maintaining the network entails—to bring the unparalleled convenience, health benefits, and cost savings of EVs to every American community, a key step towards the President’s goals of building a national network of 500,000 public EV charging stations and halving national greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The previous round of CFI funding, released in January 2024, benefited 47 projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, supporting construction of approximately 7,500 EV charging ports. Still, FHWA received applications for six times the amount of funding available. Today’s announcement reserves more than $520 million for some unselected first-round applicants who may be reconsidered for the current round of funding. FHWA will contact unselected round 1 applicants directly about this opportunity.
The CFI program is divided into two distinct grant funding categories and requires that 50% of the funding over five years is made available for both Communities and Corridors:
- Community Charging and Fueling Grants: This program will strategically deploy publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure and hydrogen, propane, and natural gas fueling infrastructure in urban and rural communities.
- Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants: This program will strategically deploy publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure and hydrogen, propane, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated AFCs.
Eligible applicants include states, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, port authorities, Indian Tribes, U.S. territories, and more. Projects for both categories are outlined in a Notice of Funding Opportunity published today. Applications are due in grants.gov by August 28, 2024. Previously unselected applicants will have the option to request via email by July 1, 2024 that FHWA reconsider previously submitted applications.
The Joint Office and FHWA will host two public webinars in the coming weeks to provide more detail on this funding announcement:
- Webinar 1: Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant NOFO Overview
- Thursday, June 6, 2024, 2:00 - 3:30pm ET - Register Here
- Webinar 2: CFI NOFO Overview: Reconsideration of Round 1 Applications
- Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at 1:00- 1:30pm ET - Register Here
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