Shapiro Administration makes additional funding available for upgrades to existing EV charger network

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation last week announced Round 1A of the Electric Vehicles Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (EVC-RAA) program. The program – created through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – focuses on repairin­­­­­­g and replacing broken or non-operational electric vehicle (EV) chargers to improve the reliability of existing EV charging infrastructure across the state.

These continued investments in strengthening EV infrastructure in Pennsylvania demonstrate the Shapiro Administration's work to rapidly deploy BIL investments, address climate change, and ensure that the future of Pennsylvania transportation is on track to be cleaner, safer, more affordable, and more reliable than ever before.

PennDOT selected $300,000 in proposals from Electrify America and Leg Up Farmers Market in round one of funding, which closed on August 14. Electrify America will replace legacy chargers with their latest and most reliable Gen 4 chargers at the Willow Grove Mall in Willow Grove, PA. This is the only DC Fast Charge site south of Interstate 276 along the Easton Road/York Road corridor in the Willow Grove and Abington areas north of Philadelphia. Leg Up Farmers Market will replace existing chargers with new Level 2 units to achieve reliable uptime at their grocery store location in York, PA.

PennDOT released Round 1A of the EVC-RAA Funding Opportunity on October 24, 2024. The online Proposal period will open on November 11, 2024, and close on January 10, 2025, at 5:00 PM EDT. Eligible parties will have an opportunity to pursue funds for the repair or replacement of listed non-operational chargers. As long as a location is included in the list of eligible AFDC Station IDs and does not currently meet all Federal Rule requirements, the location is eligible to apply to this funding opportunity. Eligible locations must apply to improve (repair, upgrade, replace, or add) equipment so the EV charging station meets Federal Rule requirements.

For more information on EVC-RAA Round 1A and to register for PennDOT's upcoming funding opportunity webinar on October 31, please visit the project website.

There are 172 remaining locations eligible for funding on the final list established by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Full program details can be found on the PennDOT EVC-RAA Webpage. Questions can be sent to [email protected].

Following Round 1 awards, PennDOT's EVC-RAA program has $4.7 million in funding left to distribute. In accordance with FHWA requirements, funding may only be used to bring charging stations up to FHWA standards, including the requirements to operate a minimum of four charging ports and maintain a greater than 97 percent uptime. For more information about the EVC-RAA program, please visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/nevi/evc_raa/Opens In A New Window.

The BIL established the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to provide funding to states to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure and to establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability. The BIL directed that 10 percent of the NEVI funds be set aside “to make grants to States and localities that require additional assistance to strategically deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure." The FHWA used a portion of the 10 percent set-aside funds for the EVC-RAA program to focus on repairing and replacing broken or non-operational EV chargers to improve the reliability of existing EV charging infrastructure.

Pennsylvania can compete for billions of dollars in federal funds across a wide range of federal grant programs through the BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). To help communities and organizations learn about these opportunities, PennDOT created a web page, www.penndot.pa.gov/IIJA, with details on federal grant opportunities to help municipalities, townships, and other community agencies with understanding the multiple transportation program grants that are available. The page includes Grant Alerts, guides, and links to important resources for local municipalities and organizations interested in pursuing federal funding opportunities.

Information about state infrastructure in Pennsylvania, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at https://www.projects.penndot.gov/.