ChargEVC Statement on historic $104 Million NEVI Funding Available to New Jersey
Highland Park, NJ–The Biden-Harris administration today announced the approval of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (“NEVI”) Deployment Plans for all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Approval unlocks the first tranche of more than $104 million in funding that will come to New Jersey over the next five years to develop and scale publicly accessible, fast-charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) on major roadways.
New Jersey is already well on its way to supporting EV infrastructure. The EV Law of 2020 includes goals for a network of publicly available EV charging stations that would ensure those opportunities are available on the state’s 42 major roadways. This transformative federal funding helps accelerate New Jersey’s goals with additional public investment. This federal funding, unlocked by the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, helps accelerate New Jersey’s goals with additional public investment. Three of the four utilities have incentive programs in the market for charger installations, and New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection also provides incentives through its Pays to Plug In program.
“New Jersey is ahead of the curve on this one,” says Pam Frank, CEO of ChargEVC. Continuing, she adds, “New Jersey will finish the work required by NEVI – the National Electric Vehicle Initiative – in a few years or sooner if all goes well which means the State has discretion on where it can spend the balance of federal funds.”
Now that EV charging plans have been approved, each state, territory and district can be reimbursed for those costs and have a wide range of options to use NEVI funding for projects directly related to EV charging, including:
- Upgrade of existing and construction of new EV charging infrastructure
- Operation and maintenance costs of these charging stations
- Installation of on-site electrical service equipment
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Workforce development activities
- EV charging station signage
- Data sharing activities
While much more than $104 million dollars will be required to transition our transportation system to EVs, these investments will help create a network of chargers for light duty fleets in the state. Still needed is charging infrastructure to power medium and heavy duty vehicles EVs. Advocates are awaiting action from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to provide guidance on programs that utilities will be required to submit for consideration.
Adds Frank, “We anxiously await this next phase of the work. The private sector is eager to invest, which means all eyes are on the Board of Public Utilities. Lives are saved when we replace the most polluting vehicles and too often the worst of the worst are concentrated in overburdened communities. They have suffered for way too long.”