The Department of Transportation (DOT) has frozen the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program after President Donald Trump signed an executive order against several energy policies.
The NEVI program was launched by DOT and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. It includes $5 billion worth of grants to the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico to support the installation of EV charging infrastructure, with multiple rounds of funding, planned from 2022 to 2026.
In Trump’s executive order “Unleashing American Energy” on Jan. 20, Trump said under the heading “Terminating the Green New Deal” that “all agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 … or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act …, including but not limited to funds for electric vehicle charging stations made available through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program, and shall review their processes, policies and programs for issuing grants, loans, contracts or any other financial disbursements of such appropriated funds for consistency with the law and the policy outlined in … this order.”
A letter from DOT on Feb. 6 states it is rescinding the current NEVI Formula Program Guidance, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is updating it to align with current U.S. DOT policy and priorities. FHWA aims to publish the new draft in the spring.
The rescinding means an immediate suspension on the approval of all state electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plans for all fiscal years. No new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved, the letter said.
Instructions for the submission of new state plans for all fiscal years will be included in the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance. States will be held harmless for not implementing their existing plans. Until new guidance is issued, reimbursement of existing obligations will be allowed so that financial commitments are not disrupted, the letter said.
The National Association of Truck Stop Owners (NATSO) and Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) issued a statement in response to the suspension.
"The NEVI program has in many states helped catalyze existing gas stations and truck stops to install fast, state-of-the-art EV charging stations,” said David Fialkov, executive vice president of government affairs for NATSO and SIGMA. “In other states, NEVI has been implemented poorly, with chargers either still not built or, if they are, they're in places nobody wants to stop. We are encouraged that the Trump administration is reevaluating rather than abandoning the NEVI Program and intend to work closely with the administration to share our experience and keep what's been working, while reconsidering clearly unproductive approaches.”
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, Oklahoma City, is growing its network of EV charging stations, in part, through NEVI grants. The company was awarded $83 million in 2024 for the construction of chargers in 13 states. Love's has 31 existing EV charging locations and 165 chargers. The chain said it will add 80 chargers to 20 Love’s locations in 2025.
Construction planned to start in 2025 on new fast chargers in eight states: Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"Love’s remains committed to meeting customers’ needs regardless of fuel type and believes a robust electric vehicle charging network is a part of that," said Kim Okafor, general manager of zero emissions for Love's. "Love’s will continue to monitor related executive orders and subsequent changes in law to determine the next steps."
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