Public EV Chargers May Be Harder to Find if Funds Are Cut by Congress

Congress is considering legislation that would eliminate a federal program that once provided $5 billion for electric vehicle chargers, and EV supporters say that will make things worse for drivers who are already anxious about range.

The charger funding program, known as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, was originally included in the 2021 Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act signed by former President Joe Biden. It was left out of a new bipartisan draft of a five-year surface transportation funding bill Congress is considering, which could become law in October, meaning the program will end after a five-year run.

The Biden-era EV charger money has been at the center of legal fights since the start of President Donald Trump’s second administration in January 2025. The Trump administration initially attempted to eliminate the funding unilaterally, but a court ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to move forward with the funding that was previously appropriated.

“EV charging infrastructure is an essential part of our nation’s transportation infrastructure,” Ben Prochazka, executive director of the Electrification Coalition, a Washington-based non-profit that lobbies for EV-friendly policies, said in a statement.

Prochazka said NEVI and other federal charger funding programs “have supported the deployment of thousands of chargers nationwide, helping ensure that the millions of Americans who choose to drive electric now or in the future have reliable, accessible access to refueling infrastructure.”

What Will the Elimination of Charger Money Mean for EV Drivers?

Car buyers have been telling pollsters for years that they have major concerns about the battery range of electric cars. The concern has bubbled up so often that it has been dubbed “range anxiety.”

According to a poll released in January 2025 by the EVs for All America group, 20% of 600 respondents said their top concern about plug-in models is the charger networks being unreliable.

The same poll showed 65% of respondents said they would rather charge their batteries at home for a seven-to-eight-hour period to achieve a full charge, while only 29% said they would prefer a 30-minute charge at a public facility that would achieve 80% battery life.

“Though significant progress on charging infrastructure deployment has been made in recent years — thanks in part to funding programs — a lack of access to charging remains a top concern among the many Americans interested in purchasing an EV,” Prochazka said.

The funding in the NEVI program was supposed to help fix that. The law included $5 billion for states to boost U.S. charging infrastructure set to wind down in 2026. It also included another $2.5 billion in competitive grants for chargers in alternative fuel corridors and underserved areas.

The funding was hailed at the time as a game changer for building out a nationwide network of chargers along federal highways. The DOT said there were “over 192,000 publicly available charging ports with approximately 1,000 new public chargers being added each week.” By the end of 2025, there were 53,662 unique charger locations with 236,893 fast-charging-capable ports, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

Has EV Adoption Suffered Since the Charger Money Has Been in Doubt?

The charger money has long been a target of Trump and congressional Republicans, along with $7,500 tax credits for EV buyers that were eliminated last year.

After the tax credit was eliminated in September 2025, U.S. EV sales declined sharply.

Carmakers sold more than 1.2 million electric cars in 2025, despite major headwinds from disappearing federal tax credits and tariffs on imported cars and parts.

According to data released in January by Cox Automotive, carmakers sold 1,275,714 electric cars in 2025 — nearly 8% of overall U.S. auto sales — but that number was down 2% from the 1,301,441 EVs sold in 2024.

Cox said used EV sales are picking up, however. Carmakers sold 82,629 new electric vehicles and 42,924 used EVs in March 2026.