US awards $635 million for new charging and H2 refuelling infrastructure

Of the 635 million dollars earmarked for the expansion, 368 million dollars have been allocated for 42 community projects, specifically for expanding EV infrastructure in these communities. The remaining 268 million dollars will be invested in seven projects along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. It will be used to set up additional charging infrastructure, as well as expand the alternative-fueling network.

The now-announced funding includes grants to six projects in California, which were reported last week. Nearly 55.9 million dollars will go to the California Energy Commission to fund the installation of 21 public EV charging hubs with at least 130 high-powered chargers and one hydrogen refuelling station – all part of the ‘California-Nevada ZeroEmission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Drayage Infrastructure Project.’

Another main recipient is the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). It will receive 100 million dollars to fund its ‘Equitable Future-Ready Electrification Infrastructure for Green Heavy-duty Transportation (EFREIGHT)’ project. Specifically, it will set up 14 public EV hubs with a total of 345 charging points. These sites will feature “battery storage and clean on-site power generation.” According to information from the US Senator for Illinois, Dick Durbin, these stations will be set up “along priority freight corridors across the Chicago metropolitan region.”

Another state focussing on the installation of infrastructure for zero-emission heavy-duty transport is Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will receive $35.5 million to set up an Alternative Fuel Corridor in Nashville. That includes building two EV charging hubs with a total of 94 charging ports near the airport and near Exit 47 off I-24 and Jefferson Street. “The project aims to deploy Nashville’s first public medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle charging infrastructure, supporting fleet electrification and electric freight corridor designations,” it says in the project description on the FHWA website.

The total funding announcement also includes the recently communicated $15 million awarded to the State University of New York to install a total of 350 charging stations with a total of 700 charging points across its 64 campuses in the state of New York. These will cater to electric cars and will be open to the public.

A list of all projects that have been awarded grants in this round of funding can be found at the end of the article.

The money comes from the US Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Programme, which has a total funding budget of 2.5 billion dollars. A 10 per cent set-aside from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Programme also helped pay for this second round of funding.

“We’re proud to deliver $635 million in Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grants to continue building out EV and alternative fuel infrastructure across America,” said US Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts, we now have over 206,000 publicly available chargers nationwide and hundreds of new manufacturing facilities across 40 states, creating jobs and economic growth. Today’s awards bring us one step closer to a cleaner transportation future.”

transportation.gov, fhwa.dot.gov (list of grant receipiants; PDF), durbin.senate.gov (Illinois)