WASHINGTON (KNWA/KFTA) — The Biden Administration announced that Arkansas’ Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Deployment Plan has been approved ahead of schedule under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, established and funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
With this early approval, Arkansas is among the first group of 35 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico with approved plans, according to a press release. These states can now unlock more than $900 million in NEVI formula funding from FY 22 and FY23 to help build EV chargers across approximately 53,000 miles of highway across the country.
The NEVI formula funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which makes $5 billion available over five years, will help build “a convenient, reliable, and affordable EV charging network across the country.” The Department of Transportation says that faster adoption of electric vehicles is a critical part of the nation’s climate goals as transportation currently accounts for more than a quarter of all emissions.
Approved plans are available on the FHWA web site and funding tables for the full five years of the NEVI Formula program can be viewed here.
Arkansas’s EV charging plan outlines how the state will grow its emerging charging network of approximately 532 public charging ports, using funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A first priority for the state is placing high-powered chargers along the approximately 512 miles of Designated EV Corridors within Arkansas.
Today’s announcement unleashes roughly $19.5 million of investment in FY22 and FY23 funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Arkansas to take key steps in building out a convenient, affordable, reliable, and equitable charging network.
“Today, with funding in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are taking an important step to build a nationwide electric vehicle charging network where finding a charge is as easy as locating a gas station,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With the first set of approvals we are announcing today, 35 states across the country – with Democratic and Republican governors – will be moving forward to use these funds to install EV chargers at regular, reliable intervals along their highways.”
“Making electric vehicle charging accessible to all Americans is critical to achieving a transportation sector that improves our environment and lessens our dependence on oil and gas,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This first group of 35 plans from States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now have the green light to build their pieces of the national charging network to ensure drivers can spend less on transportation costs while commuting confidently by charging along the way.”
