Camila Domonoske
A Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle charges via a fast charger in Torrance, Calif., on February 23, 2024. A federal program to fund fast chargers across the U.S. has been on pause for six months, but the Trump administration is now restarting it.
The Trump administration is reopening a federal program to fund the installation of high-speed EV chargers along freeways nationwide, after a six-month freeze in funds and a legal battle with states.
President Trump has repeatedly denounced the multibillion dollar program, called the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (or NEVI) program, as wasteful. It was created in 2021 through a bipartisan act of Congress, and unlike many other Biden-era climate measures, that law remains on the books; Congress has not reversed it.
The Department of Transportation froze the funds in February, and months passed with no indication of when funding would be restarted. A coalition of more than a dozen states sued the federal government, alleging that the administration was violating the law and defying the will of Congress. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in the states' favor.
