NEVI Program Still Funds EV Chargers Despite Trump Attempts

The $7,500 federal EV tax credit ended on September 30, 2025, as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But a separate federal pot of money for charging stations is still flowing, despite the Trump administration's best efforts to stop it.

Jalopnik reports the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, established in 2021 under the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, set aside $5 billion to be allocated through 2026. The program covers up to 80% of eligible costs for charger installation.

The Trump administration suspended NEVI in February 2025, but Judge Tana Lin issued a preliminary injunction in June 2025, temporarily blocking the freeze for 14 states. The administration walked back. In August 2025, new guidance from Secretary Sean Duffy removed requirements for consumer protections, extreme weather plans, and emergency evacuation routes. States could now decide charger spacing instead of the original 50-mile rule.

"While I don't agree with subsidizing green energy, we will respect Congress' will," Duffy said at the time.

In January 2026, Lin issued a final ruling permanently barring the DOT from withholding funds. The administration now wants to cancel $2.7 billion in unobligated NEVI funds in its FY2027 budget request. Some states, like Florida, are looking at flying cars instead of EV chargers.

So the money is still there, but the goalposts keep moving. The NEVI program has been a bureaucratic mess, but at least some chargers are getting built. That's more than the tax credit did after the sale.

• court ruling
• EV charging infrastructure
• EV tax credit
• federal funding
• NEVI
• Trump administration