Federal Government To Fund Fast EV Chargers Along Highways

The federal government will begin granting $615 million to states as early as this September to create a nation-wide network of electric-vehicle charging stations. The funds are part of the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill approved by Congress last year that provides $5 billion for charging stations over the next five years.

The goal of the program is to create a network of 500,000 charging stations across the country by 2030. Currently there are more than 47,000 publically accessible EV charging stations, according to the Department of Energy.

The Department of Transportation will distribute funds only to states that have detailed plans on how they intend to utilize the money to install EV charging stations every 50 miles along interstate-highway corridors. The charging stations will be required to be no more than a mile off the highway, charge at least four cars at a time at 150 kW, use the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard for charging EVs, ensure at least one charger is available 97 percent of the time while limiting the impact to the electric grid. The intent is to ensure the new stations are easily expandable and upgradable and are located in high traffic areas.

“While we’re a long way from seeing EV sales pass vehicles with internal combustion engines, it’s important for electric cooperatives to consider what a future looks like when it does happen,” CFC Vice President of Utility Research and Policy Jan Ahlen said. “It’s better to be prepared for when EVs hit critical mass and it could become a challenge to manage load growth caused by EV charging across commercial, industrial and residential members.”

The program prioritizes domestically produced chargers. As of early February, two suppliers have announced a new factory and expansion of facilities to produce more than 1 million chargers per year by 2025.

A new office was created, the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, to assist the Transportation and Energy departments with managing the program. It will be responsible for granting exceptions in situations when no grid connections are available within 50 miles and to determine the rules for the additional $2.5 billion later this year. Those funds are earmarked to further fill in the gaps and to build charging stations in rural and underserved areas.