Contact: Noah Barnes
noah@electrification.org, (202) 461-2371
WASHINGTON—On November 15, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA). The law was a monumental step forward for the future of transportation, creating significant investments in transportation electrification:
- Electric vehicle (EV) charging
- $5 billion for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula funding
- $2.5 billion for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grants
- Medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles
- $5.6 billion for low- or no-emission bus grant program
- $5 billion for clean school bus program
- $3 billion for grants to reduce air pollution at ports
- $1 billion for clean heavy-duty vehicles
- Manufacturing
- $6 billion for battery processing and manufacturing
- $40 billion in loan authority for advanced energy manufacturing
As we mark the second anniversary of the BIL, Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka has released the following statement:
“Electric vehicles reduce our nation’s dependence on oil for transportation, improving national and economic security. Amid this global transition, the U.S. must maintain a leadership role, or we risk falling behind the rest of the world in automotive manufacturing and supply chains. The BIL, along with the Inflation Reduction Act, is spurring private-sector investments, creating American jobs, and accelerating the shift to electric transportation.
“The BIL is foundational to building out infrastructure, supporting community action, and electrifying trucks and buses, all of which will dramatically reduce oil consumption from the transportation sector.
“A transition this massive is not without its challenges, though. NEVI funding, intended to build charging stations at least every 50 miles along major highways, is distributed from the federal government to all 50 states, which award funding to build stations. Thus far, seven states have awarded $91 million in NEVI funding: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Ohio and Pennsylvania. An additional 14 states have begun accepting funding applications but have not yet announced awards. Construction on the first charging station funded by NEVI recently began west of Columbus, Ohio, but we need to move much faster.
“We applaud the seven states that have awarded funding. We continue to urge states to accelerate their work to issue RFPs and work with vendors to create a national charging network that is critical to accelerating electrification.
“The Clean School Bus Program, funded by the BIL, is off to a great start with 2022 rebates already funding school bus replacements at nearly 400 schools, with much more funding to be dispersed over the next four years. These buses will reduce the harmful diesel emissions that our children breathe on their rides to and from school. Plus, when equipped with vehicle-to-everything technology, electric school buses can serve as backup power for schools, shelters and hospitals during emergencies, as outlined in a recent EC report.
“The BIL is also investing in American battery processing and manufacturing and spurring additional private investments. These investments create jobs and ensure the U.S. maintains a leadership position in the global auto market.
“The Electrification Coalition has created tools to help access funding, is galvanizing public-private partnerships and is working to pass policies that will reduce the barriers to meeting the EV opportunities.
“We applaud the Biden-Harris administration for working with Republicans and Democrats to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law two years ago. It, along with the Inflation Reduction Act, is generational legislation that will shape the future of American transportation. While there will be challenges ahead, the transition to EVs will reduce emissions, improve public health, and make the U.S. stronger and safer.”
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About the Electrification Coalition: The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes policies and actions to facilitate the widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) on a mass scale to overcome the economic, public health and national security challenges that stem from America’s dependence on oil. electrificationcoalition.org