The U.S. government has unveiled plans to invest $623 million in grants to install an additional 7,500 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as part of President Biden’s $7.5 billion initiative to expand charging infrastructure. This funding falls under the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, which allocates $2.5 billion to the Federal Highway Administration over the next five years to develop EV charging stations in local communities and along major highways. Funds will also be directed toward creating hydrogen corridors for medium and large freight trucks.
Approximately $311 million will be distributed to 36 community projects, including two Indian tribes in Alaska and Arizona, to establish EV and hydrogen charging stations in public spaces such as libraries, schools, and public parks.
This initiative encompasses 22 states and Puerto Rico, aiming to construct around 7,500 electric chargers. The program targets Level 2 charging plugs for local communities and Level 3 fast charging stations along interstate highways. Puerto Rico is set to receive around $51 million to build charging stations along designated corridors.
Mesa, Arizona, is expected to secure $12 million to construct 48 electric vehicle chargers suitable for various vehicle sizes, charging docks for electric bicycles and scooters, and solar canopies to generate power for the charging station. Texas will allocate $70 million to establish five hydrogen fueling stations for medium and large freight trucks in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, along with creating a hydrogen corridor from Southern California to Texas. California will receive grants for 10 projects, while Washington will gain approximately $26.6 million in support for four projects.
The Biden administration has stressed that this initiative is vital for developing a nationwide network of roughly 500,000 publicly accessible EV chargers by 2030.
Since President Biden’s inauguration, electric vehicle sales in the United States have quadrupled, and the number of publicly available charging ports has increased by nearly 70%. The U.S. government aims to have electric vehicles account for half of all U.S. car sales by 2030, highlighting the importance of expanding charging infrastructure.
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