The Biden-Harris Administration last week announced a $2.5 million grant to the Town of Deerfield, Massachusetts to fund two publicly accessible EV charging sites. The award is one of 47 projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico selected to receive a total of $623 million in funding to help build out an electric vehicle (EV) charging network under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. This means EV drivers in Massachusetts and across the country can charge their electric vehicles where they live, work, and shop.
The grants are a critical part of the Biden Administration’s goal of building out a convenient, affordable, reliable and made-in-America national network of EV chargers, including at least 500,000 publicly available chargers by 2030 ensuring that EV’s are made in America with American workers.
Under President Biden’s leadership, EV sales have more than quadrupled, the number of publicly available charging ports has grown by nearly 70 percent, and more than 4 million EV’s are now on the road. Spurred by the President’s historic investments, private companies have announced more than $155 billion in the EV and battery supply chain under the Biden-Harris Administration. EV’s are critical to our rapid and equitable transition to clean transportation systems, producing zero tailpipe emissions, reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions – major contributors to climate change and key contributors to respiratory ailments.
“America led the arrival of the automotive era, and now we have a chance to lead the world in the EV revolution—securing jobs, savings, and benefits for Americans in the process,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This funding will help ensure that EV chargers are accessible, reliable, and convenient for American drivers, while creating jobs in charger manufacturing, installation, and maintenance for American workers.”
The grants being announced today are made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, a competitive funding program, that includes construction of approximately 7,500 EV charging ports. The CFI program complements the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle (NEVI) Formula Program to build the “backbone” of high-speed EV chargers along our nation’s highways. Thanks to the NEVI program, new charging stations in Ohio and New York have opened, and states like Pennsylvania and Maine have broken ground.
“Every community across the nation deserves access to convenient and reliable clean transportation,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The Biden-Harris Administration is bringing an accessible, made-in-America charging network into thousands of communities while cutting the carbon pollution that is driving the climate crisis.”
In Massachusetts, the $2.5 million grant will be used to fund two public access EV charging sites at the Leary Public Parking Lot and Town Hall Public Parking Lot. The sites are centrally located to the surrounding rural towns and will serve several disadvantaged communities.
“From my time working at the local level, I know that finding electric vehicle charging in a community is different from finding charging along highways,” said U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “USDOT is proud to make an investment that will provide Americans with convenient, straightforward charging options in their communities.”
“The Federal Highway Administration is pleased to announce this grant in Massachusetts that will bring EV charging to people and communities all across the nation,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “These investments through the CFI Program will grow our national EV charging network, support President Biden’s goals of achieving net-zero emissions for the nation by 2050 and promote opportunity for all Americans to enjoy the benefits of EV charging.”
As part of today’s announcements, the Federal Highway Administration is awarding $311 million in funding to 36 “community” projects, including two Indian Tribes in Alaska and Arizona. These projects invest in EV charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in urban and rural communities, including at convenient and high-use locations like schools, parks, libraries, multi-family housing, and more.
Another $312 million in funding will go to 11 “corridor” recipients whose projects are located along roadways designated as Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). These projects will fill gaps in the core national charging and alternative-fueling network.
The CFI Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. More than 70% of the CFI funding announced today will support project sites in disadvantaged communities. To provide a consistent charging experience for users that ensures a convenient, affordable, and reliable national charging network, EV chargers constructed with CFI funds must adhere to the same minimum standards established for NEVI-funded chargers. FHWA is working closely with the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which provides technical assistance on planning and implementation of a national network of electric vehicle chargers and zero-emission fueling infrastructure.