On January 11, 2024, the Biden administration, Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Energy (DOE), Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced $622 million in awards for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program across 47 projects, promising at least 5,146 level 2 chargers, 688 DC fast chargers, and 120 chargers that will support medium- and heavy-duty vehicle electrification.
Given the unique opportunity for CFI projects to both assist the buildout of a national charging network along alternative fuel corridors (AFCs) and the accessibility of charging in local communities, many applicants focused on charging solutions that meet the current needs of their communities and fill in major gaps in the national charging network.
The EC analyzed the awarded projects and identified key trends among the 47 projects funded and how they will impact scaling access to charging infrastructure for communities across the country. These trends are highlighted below:
- Access for Disadvantaged Communities: $267,153,765 across thirty projects emphasized station location in or walking distance from disadvantaged communities.
- Medium- and Heavy-Duty Considerations: $240,699,043 across four projects focused on medium- and heavy-duty EV charging.
- Rural Community Access: $116,850,348 across fifteen awarded projects are based in rural areas, accounting for 18.77% of all project funding.
- Multi-Modal Focus: $104,710,300 across eight projects that plan to connect their chargers to other modes of transportation, bus and train stops, e-bike and e-scooter charging docks, and more.
- Community Engagement: $61,674,708 across seven projects cited anticipated community engagement efforts.
- Workforce Development: $48,010,000 across three projects used funding to create an apprenticeship program to build a network of electricians.
- Multi-Unit Dwelling Access: $44,710,000 across four projects focused on charging within walking distance from multi-unit dwellings, with one applicant solely dedicated to access for multi-unit dwellings.
- Renewable Energy Generation: $44,033,727 across four projects mentioned using renewable energy as at least a partial source for energy generation and storage for their chargers.
- Upgrades to Pre-Existing Systems: $18,620,067 across three projects focused on updating current infrastructure, in addition to the installation of new sites, to improve reliability and connectivity.
The following graphs and figures demonstrate key differences among awarded projects:
The majority of awards went to cities, counties, and agencies. Of the 47 projects awarded, 24 selected projects include tribes or territories in their region.
Many awarded projects plan to implement charging solutions in the surrounding cities in addition to their own. Although we saw great variety in applicant type among awardees, those collaborating with cities had the greatest success. Connecting with cities can lead to successful applications for future CFI rounds.
Figure 1: Pie chart showing the distribution of entities awarded funds.
In addition to applicant variety, we also saw a great variety in awarded project sizes. The minimum for applications was $500,000, and while there is a varied cost distribution among awardees, we see the trend that those larger projects, requiring more funds, were favored. This could go along with the idea that spanning multiple areas with charging deployment under one project makes for a successful application.
Figure 2: Bar chart indicating number of awards based on project amount
The EC is working with awardees and applicants for future rounds of funding to implement these projects, improve access to charging infrastructure, and accelerate EV adoption. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter below for more updates, and contact us at infrastructure@electrificationcoalition.org for assistance!