Federal highway officials have given the go-ahead to Connecticut’s updated plan to use $52.5 million in federal funding to expand the high-speed charging network for electric vehicles in the state. The Trump administration in February paused the distribution of funds to states through the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, but reopened the funding program in August in the face of legal challenges and political pressure. The decision in August to relaunch the NEVI program caught some observers by surprise. A judge had ordered federal officials to release funds to certain states that had sued but not to others, and the administration could still have appealed that ruling. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was enacted in 2021 allocated $52.5 million in NEVI funds to Connecticut over five years to upgrade existing fast-charging direct current infrastructure and construct new DC charging stations. The state has committed just $1.4 million of that federal funding, according to the state Department of Transportation. For the moment, Gov. Ned Lamont said his administration is proceeding on the assumption that the state will receive all $52.5 million in pledged NEVI funds.
CT moving ahead with $52.5M expansion of EV charging network after Trump initially blocked funds
