EV Charging Program Doubles Spending Despite Federal Freeze

Despite a funding freeze and legal battles, America's nationwide electric vehicle charging program just had its best year yet.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program spent $94 million in 2025, more than double the $44 million from 2024, according to a new Sierra Club report. States are now deploying hundreds of charging ports and have signed agreements for thousands more.

The achievement is remarkable given the obstacles. The Trump administration froze the program's funding and has been defending that decision in court for months. More than 95 percent of the original $5 billion Congress allocated in 2021 remains unspent because of these legal challenges.

But states found a workaround. The ones that moved fastest to submit proposals before the freeze are now seeing results. Pennsylvania leads the country with $16.2 million spent, followed by Ohio. California, despite being much larger, has only spent $920,000 because it submitted proposals later.

The legal tide may be turning. On January 23, a federal court in Washington ruled that the Trump administration broke the law by trying to claw back the money. Seventeen states and environmental groups successfully argued their case, and the judge ordered funding to resume.

Josh Stebbins, an attorney at Sierra Club who helped bring the legal challenge, said states need to move faster. The goal remains building a truly nationwide charging network that Congress promised Americans in 2021.

The Ripple Effect

The program is already changing landscapes in unexpected places. Small towns along major highways are getting modern charging stations at travel centers. Ohio couple Chip and Cathy Lillyman recently charged their electric Lexus at a station in London, Ohio, part of the first NEVI-funded project in the country.

With gas prices hitting $4.29 in many areas, more Americans are considering electric vehicles. The charging stations being built today will serve them for years to come, regardless of political winds in Washington.

States are now racing to secure and spend their allocated funds before any new legal challenges arise. The $2.7 billion still available represents thousands of charging stations waiting to be built across America's highways.

What looked like a stalled program is quietly building the infrastructure for America's electric future, one charging port at a time.