EV Charging Expansion: 30 States to Receive $521 Million in Federal Grants

The Biden administration has announced a significant new round of funding aimed at expanding the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure a great wave.

On August 27, 2024, the administration revealed that additional funding of $521 million will be distributed to 30 states as part of the broader effort to meet the goal of installing 500,000 EV chargers nationwide by 2030.

This comes as part of the broader $7.5 billion investment outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to push green living and take control of climate change.

Since President Biden took office in 2021, the number of public EV charging ports in the U.S. has nearly doubled, with more than 192,000 now available and approximately 1,000 new chargers being added each week.

In the official announcement:

“President Biden and Vice President Harris believe in building infrastructure from the bottom up and the middle out. This investment puts public dollars in the hands of states, tribes and communities to build a more accessible national charging network,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Despite these advances, the administration is keenly aware of ongoing challenges such as charging reliability and accessibility, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities where infrastructure is yet to be improved.

However, this latest funding round will address these issues by supporting projects that focus on underserved areas, improving charger reliability, and developing the clean energy workforce.

As I earlier talked about it:

The $521 million funding is part of the administration's continued push to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, an essential step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change.

The investments are also intended to stimulate job creation in the clean energy sector, with a focus on equitable access to EV charging for all Americans.

This announcement comes at a time when automakers such as Tesla, General Motors, BMW, Rivian, and many others are adjusting their strategies in response to slower-than-expected EV sales growth, highlighting the critical need for a robust and reliable charging infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles.

You can find a complete list of the recipient states of this grant here (pdf).