The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Funding Program was passed by Congress in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a law crafted by a functional government in which both sides of the aisle came together to strengthen America’s economy while improving the safety, efficiency, and quality of U.S. transportation infrastructure. The law appropriated funding through the NEVI program to build out a nationwide network of electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers along America’s highways. The recent FHWA rescission of the NEVI Formula Program will cost the U.S. many thousands of jobs, damage state and local economies, and set the U.S. further behind its global competitors in the automotive industry.
The NEVI Formula Program actively stimulates economies throughout the country by creating jobs in the construction, installation, and maintenance of alternative fueling infrastructure while attracting new businesses to rural areas, boosting local economies through increased driver spending, and fostering technological innovation. The program actively works to make charging infrastructure more accessible to millions of drivers, allowing U.S. households to reduce transportation spending and keep more money in their wallets.
In addition to driving rural economic development, the NEVI Formula Program supports the deployment of clean vehicles and supports vehicle choice and Americans’ ability to buy cars that will save them between $18,000 and $24,000 compared to a gas vehicle over the course of the vehicle’s life. In alignment with other recent policies, this program improves access to clean vehicles, supports the nationwide build-out of charging infrastructure, strengthens the economy, creates good-paying jobs, helps the U.S. auto industry stay relevant, and fortifies U.S. energy security.
The administration’s decision to discontinue this program is incredibly short-sighted given that the vast majority of the investment from this program impacts working-class, rural Americans, has bipartisan support and contributes to American consumer choice in vehicles.
About Plug In America
Plug In America is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States through education, advocacy and research. Formed in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information to consumers and dealerships about EVs through various programs, including National Drive Electric Week, Drive Electric Earth Month, PlugStar.com, and other public outreach events. Learn more at PlugInAmerica.org.
Media contact: Lindsey Perkins
