Charging Station
Credit: PG&E
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Provides Funding to Make Electric Vehicle Charging More Accessible
February 11, 2022 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that $56.8 million in federal funding is available to California this year to build out electric vehicle charging networks. This funding from the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy is part of the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Padilla voted to pass. This is the first year of funding for the program, and it is estimated that $383.6 million will be available to California through this program over five years.
“Electric vehicles are one of our most powerful tools to curb carbon pollution and improve air quality, especially in California’s most over-burdened communities, but we need to have infrastructure in place to deploy these technologies,” Senator Padilla said.“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making over $56 million available to California this year to help expand the network of electric vehicle charging stations across the state. This is an important step to making personal and commercial transportation cleaner. Building out electric vehicle charging along highways, ports, and rail depots will help improve the air quality in the surrounding neighborhoods that face the toxic impacts of commercial goods movement.”
The NEVI program will provide nearly $5 billion over five years to help states create a network of EV charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, particularly along the Interstate Highway System. States must submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan before they can access these funds. A second, competitive grant program designed to further increase EV charging access in locations throughout the country, including in rural and underserved communities, will be announced later this year.
Senator Padilla has been a leader in the effort to cut emissions from the transportation sector, which accounts for the largest share of climate pollution in California. Senator Padilla recently led a letter urging the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration to prioritize investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Lawin clean charging and fueling projects to help reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality in the most impacted communities.
Padilla also led efforts to push the Biden Administration to swiftly revise the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission standards for on-highway heavy-duty trucks, a critical regulation for reducing carbon pollution from the transportation sector, protecting environmental justice communities’ right to clean air, and fighting the climate crisis.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla
