(The Center Square) – Gov. Jared Polis is criticizing the Trump administration for suspending federal funding to state electric vehicle infrastructure plans, a program that Colorado was utilizing.
“Electric vehicles are saving people money and protecting our air,” Polis, a Democrat, said of the suspension. “The Trump administration is trying to put Colorado EV drivers in a pothole.”
Colorado was set to receive $57 million in federal monies as a part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant program through 2026, all meant to fund the installation of public electric vehicle charging stations across the state.
The NEVI program was a national initiative funded by the federal 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and dedicated $5 billion to building a nationwide network of public electric vehicle charging stations along highways.
The program was expected to fund 172 new fast charging ports at 29 locations across Colorado in multiple rounds, with the state also investing $48 million through the first three rounds. According to a press release, Polis has long “led the charge” for the NEVI program.
Yet, following the appointment of new leadership in the U.S. Department of Transportation in early February, the Federal Highway Administration announced the temporary suspension of the NEVI program, pending a review of its policies.
“Effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved,” said Emily Biondi, associate administrator at the FHWA.
While some states have paused their installations due to confusion around the federal suspension of the program and what that means for funding, the Colorado Department of Transportation has made no such announcement.
So far, only 58 charging stations have opened up across the country as a part of NEVI, with 895 conditionally awarded. With those 58 stations costing $31 million altogether, each station cost about $527,300 to install.
Colorado has had two NEVI-funded electric vehicle charging stations officially open, one in Frisco (costing $510,000 with 12 charging ports) and the other in Longmont (costing $285,000 with eight charging ports).
For Colorado, the NEVI program was part of a broader plan by the state to move towards electric vehicles.
Long-term, the state hopes that light-duty electric vehicles will make up “nearly 100%” of the market share by 2050.
“The state envisions the large-scale transition of Colorado’s transportation system to zero emission vehicles,” said Colorado’s 2023 Electric Vehicle Plan.
This includes 940,000 electric vehicles on Colorado roads by 2030. While the state says the ability to meet that goal has “never been better,” it currently has “more than 161,000 EVs on Colorado roads.”
