Federal Agencies Lack Defined Performance Goals for EV Charging Infrastructure Investments
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) – an independent federal agency that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services to the U.S. Congress – released a report in which they determined that the federal government lacks clear goals to which the success of its investments in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure can be measured. It recommends that the government institute measurable short-term performance goals to help it, "better achieve results and inform the public and Congress of the effectiveness of federal investments."
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed in 2021, included $5 billion over five years for a new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program. It also included $2.5 billion over 5 years for a new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) discretionary grant program.
NEVI Overview
- Purpose:
- Develop EV charging infrastructure along strategically designated alternative fuel corridors (AFC).
- The charging stations must be 50 miles away from each other and within one mile of the targeted highway corridor.
- All charging stations must have at least four high-speed charging ports capable of charging at least four vehicles simultaneously.
- Process: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) allocates funding to state and local governments. The funding amount is based on a formula.
- Status as of April 2025:
- 300 charging ports in service in 68 charging stations across 16 states.
- Rhode Island is the only state that has completed constructing. charging stations required under NEVI along AFCs.
CFI Overview
- Purpose:
- Build EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in publicly-accessible places.
- Increase EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in urban environments with high expected demand or in places where the private sector wouldn't build stations were it not for public funding.
- All charging stations must use DC chargers or level 2 chargers.
- Process
- Entities apply for grants.
- Grants awarded through a competitive process.
- Status as of April 2025
- 147 grants, with a combined value of $1.8 billion had been announced as of January 2025.
- 84 charging ports in service across two stations in two states.
President Trump issued an executive order in January 2025 that forbids any more NEVI or CFI spending, pending a review of federal agency performance reviews. Spending has been paused since then.