The restart follows a federal court ruling compelling the Trump Administration to release National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding, which had been frozen earlier this year. The state had joined a multi-state lawsuit after the halt threatened $55 million of its allocation.
As a reminder: The NEVI programme funds up to 80% of eligible project costs for EV chargers along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. To be eligible, the stations must be “non-proprietary, allow for open-access payment methods, be publicly available or available to authorized commercial motor vehicle operators from more than one company.”
However, in February, the Trump administration abruptly revoked the guidelines underlying the NEVI programme. But resistance quickly formed, and a coalition of states filed a lawsuit against the freezing of funds in May. In June, a court ruled that these states were likely to succeed and issued a preliminary injunction against the government’s spending freeze. In August, the White House finally released the funding.
In a statement, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said the restored funding now ensures that the state’s infrastructure can ‘meet the needs of the 21st Century,’ adding that ‘we are thrilled to see the NEVI program continue to support these goals and further move us toward the clean energy future Wisconsinites deserve.’
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), station proposals were evaluated based on corridor coverage, development potential and extended operating hours. The 26 selected locations include 11 Kwik Trip sites alongside hotels, other service stations, a Culver’s restaurant, and a chocolate shop. They span the state from Superior to East Troy and are designed to fill remaining gaps along 15 designated interstate and highway corridors.
“As the market and the number of folks who are driving electric vehicles grows, EV infrastructure is needed,” said WisDOT spokesperson John DesRivieres, emphasising that the aim is to ensure ‘no matter where you are in Wisconsin, you’ve got easy access to an EV charger.’
Through its first two funding rounds, Wisconsin has now allocated $36.4 million in federal support for 78 fast-charging projects. Eleven stations from the first round are operational, 16 have been approved for construction, and the remainder are in pre-construction phases. The first NEVI site in Wisconsin only went online at the end of last year.
Wisconsin currently has more than 37,000 registered EVs, with registrations rising sharply ahead of the recent federal tax credit expiry. Alex Beld of Renew Wisconsin said the expansion of charging infrastructure is expected to sustain that momentum: “By expanding our network of charging stations, we hope to see that number continue to climb,” he concluded.
wpr.org, wjfw.com
