Contact: Noah Barnes, Electrification Coalition
noah@electrification.org, (202) 461-2371
WASHINGTON—A funding bill released this week would eliminate $879 million in funding for EV charging infrastructure under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka issued this statement:
“Electric vehicles are vital to U.S. economic and national security. They will create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, ensure the U.S. auto industry remains competitive with Chinese automakers, diversify how we power transportation, and drive demand for critical mineral and battery supply chains, which are essential to U.S. defense.
“With almost 8 million EVs sold in the United States and 178 models available, now is not the time to pull the plug on building a great American charging network that ensures consumers can access all the benefits of electrification. J.D. Power reports that nearly 60 percent of new-vehicle shoppers are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to consider an EV, but access to charging infrastructure remains a critical barrier.
“NEVI is a first-of-its-kind program to build a nationwide network of EV charging to provide reliability and certainty to American consumers. Thanks to increased program flexibility under the Trump administration, more than 45 out of 50 states are now moving forward with plans to expand public-private partnerships and increase consumer and fleet choices for powering our transportation future. To claw back this funding just when states are moving forward is pulling the rug out from under them, and will only further delay the ability for the United States to stay competitive in transportation innovation.”
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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