National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program
The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law on November 15, 2021 and established the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. NEVI provides funding to state governments to deploy electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers along designated EV corridors to establish an interconnected EV charging network across the nation.
NEVI and New York
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will receive approximately $175 million through NEVI over five years. The NEVI program requires funds to be invested within one travel mile of designated EV corridors, with charging stations no more than 50 miles apart. Designated corridors include many of the State’s most-traveled interstate and state highways that make up the Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs).
To receive the NEVI funds, NYSDOT submitted a State EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan (Plan) to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The Plan contained information on the State’s existing charging infrastructure, goals for the investments, how the State plans to use the funding, and how the State will monitor and evaluate the program. Public input was an important part of Plan development. NYSDOT must submit updated plans to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and FHWA each year to receive its annual allotment. FHWA originally reviewed and approved these plans in September 2022. In July of 2024, NYSDOT submitted New York’s NEVI Plan [PDF] update to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and FHWA which was approved that November.
For the first phase of the Plan, New York is capitalizing on the extent of the State’s existing EV charging station infrastructure that meets the NEVI geographic and capacity standards along the designated EV AFCs and filling the remaining gaps by partnering with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build NEVI-compliant hardware and utility infrastructure. New York State opened one of the first NEVI-funded EV charging stations in the nation in December, 2023. Additional fast chargers have been installed and more installations are underway.
In early fall 2024, NYSERDA released a solicitation to develop Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) along AFCs in New York State. PON 5865 , due December 4, 2024, is focused on areas north of and including I-84. The program is intended to reduce the cost of purchasing and installing DCFC EVSE in New York State and ultimately accelerate EV adoption.
Federal Grant Opportunity for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure
The FHWA Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program) is a competitive grant program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work, urban and rural areas alike, in addition to along designated AFCs. This program provides two funding categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) AFC Grants (Corridor Program). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $2.5 billion over five years for this program.
NYSERDA was awarded $15 million in the first round of CFI funding to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure in publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods, and at tourist destinations like parks and hotels across the state. With this funding, NYSERDA will launch competitive solicitations for projects to install Level 2 charging stations at more than 200 locations across the state, as well as DCFC chargers in small- to medium-sized cities on Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and in the Southern Tier.