Julia Tilton
April 18, 2025

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program was brought to a halt by the Trump administration in February. But states have interpreted federal guidance differently.

If you’re driving an electric vehicle up I-95 or 295 these days, particularly in York or Cumberland counties, odds are you won’t have to travel far before hitting a public charging station.

But head north and the stations taper off. Until recently, $5 billion in federal funding was set to change that, with a nationwide goal to build a network of public EV chargers along every 50 miles of designated roadway from Maine to California. 

Known by its acronym ‘NEVI’ in the EV and policy worlds, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program was brought to a halt by the Trump administration in February.

But the memo released on Feb. 5 by the Federal Highway Administration, which manages the program, drew confusion among states, leading some to halt construction while others pressed forward. Many, including Maine, have multiple NEVI-funded sites underway. 

Building these sites is expensive. In Maine, $19.3 million in NEVI funding has been awarded to the state to install level three fast chargers, which can add 100 to 250 miles of charge in 30-45 minutes. The chargers, which have several ports to plug into, start in the tens of thousands of dollars. So far, Maine has inked plans to install a total of 62 ports across the state using $11 million of that NEVI money. 

According to data compiled by Efficiency Maine Trust, the quasi-state agency for energy programs that handles reimbursement for the program, 15 sites have approval to use NEVI dollars, though two have since been cancelled. Two others were completed last year in Augusta and Rockland, making them among the country’s first NEVI-funded stations to open. 

As for the rest of the sites, the Feb. 5 memo was vague about how NEVI’s suspension will impact their construction............................

Read the rest at https://themainemonitor.org/ev-charging-network-limbo/

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