NEVI in 2026: After the Funding Freeze, States Are Reopening Corridor Charging Grants

The NEVI program, roughly $5 billion allocated through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for highway EV charging, has had a turbulent two years. After early rollout delays, a 2025 federal funding freeze, and a 2026 court ruling that reversed it, the program is once again funding DC fast charging along US corridors. This article lays out where things actually stand, because the headline "second-round grants are flowing" is true but incomplete.

⚠️ Time-sensitive: The Section 30C Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit expires June 30, 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21). Equipment must be physically placed in service by that date (not ordered, not permitted, not under construction). No extension legislation has been introduced. After June 30, there is no federal EV charger tax credit.

The 2025 freeze and the 2026 reversal

NEVI did not move smoothly into its second round. In early 2025, following a change in administration, the Federal Highway Administration suspended approval of state EV deployment plans, rescinded prior NEVI guidance, and effectively withheld access to funds Congress had already appropriated. States that had approved plans and pending solicitations found themselves stuck.

A coalition of states sued. On January 23, 2026, in Washington v. U.S. Department of Transportation, a federal judge in the Western District of Washington ruled that FHWA and DOT had acted unlawfully under the Administrative Procedure Act when they revoked approvals and withheld funds, and ordered the funding released. Following that ruling, FHWA apportioned roughly $885 million for fiscal year 2026 and issued updated program guidance.

The practical effect: NEVI funds are flowing again in 2026, but the program rules and timelines are less settled than they were in 2024. Anyone planning a NEVI-funded project should confirm their state's current status directly rather than assuming continuity with pre-freeze plans.

Where NEVI stands in 2026

Most states completed their first NEVI solicitations in 2023 and 2024, awarding grants to station operators and property owners along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. Construction of those first-round sites continued through 2024 and 2025. By late 2025, hundreds of NEVI-funded ports had been built nationally, a modest figure relative to the program's ambitions and a frequent point of criticism.

As of Q2 2026, with funds released and new guidance in place, several states have reopened their next round of solicitations, and additional states have signaled rounds during 2026. High-activity states have generally moved fastest. The pace varies widely by state, which is why a generic "second round is open" statement is not reliable for any specific location.

What changed in the updated guidance

The post-freeze FHWA guidance gives states more flexibility than the original rules:

• Consolidated solicitations that bundle corridor segments rather than awarding them piecemeal.
• Expanded site eligibility beyond the strict corridor placement rules in some cases.
• A relaxed 50-mile spacing rule. Where a state can show its designated corridors are built out and FHWA agrees, the state can be treated as fully built out and redirect funds.
• Eligibility for medium- and heavy-duty charging and station upgrades once light-duty corridor buildout is certified, supporting freight corridors and fleet electrification.

These changes broaden where and how NEVI dollars can be used, which is good news for sites that did not fit the original criteria, but they also mean the rules differ from what was published in 2022 and 2023.

What NEVI funds

NEVI funds public DC fast charging that meets specific standards (verify against your state's current RFP, as states can layer additional requirements):

• Minimum 150 kW per port
• At least 4 ports per location
• Within 1 mile of a designated corridor exit (subject to the new flexibility above)
• Publicly accessible, accepting credit and debit cards without a network membership
• Network connectivity and high uptime requirements (commonly 97% or higher)
• Federal cost share of up to 80% of eligible costs (as of Q2 2026)

The underlying goal is unchanged: fill the gaps along major highways where fast charging is sparse. Rural corridor routes in states like Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, which historically had little coverage, are the kind of place NEVI is meant to reach.

Impact on EV adoption

Highway charging gaps have long been a barrier to EV consideration for longer-distance drivers. As corridor coverage fills in, that argument weakens. The remaining friction is reliability; early public fast charging earned a reputation for poor uptime, which is why NEVI contracts carry explicit reliability requirements and penalties. The 2025 freeze set the buildout back, and the slow pace of completed ports remains a fair criticism, but the corridor-coverage trend is still pointed in one direction.

For commercial property owners

NEVI grants require competitive applications and specific location criteria, and they are narrow: this is a corridor fast-charging program, not a workplace, retail, or multifamily program. If your property sits near a designated corridor exit, and especially if it is a travel center, truck stop, or highway-adjacent retail site, checking your state DOT's current NEVI solicitation status is worth the time.

Two cautions for 2026:

• Confirm current status, not last year's plan. The freeze disrupted schedules. A solicitation that was expected in 2025 may have slipped, changed scope, or reopened under new rules.
• Do not let NEVI timing override the 30C deadline. NEVI projects can take many months from application to energized station. The 30C tax credit, a separate and more broadly available federal benefit, expires June 30, 2026. If 30C is part of your project economics, the equipment must be placed in service by that date regardless of where your NEVI application stands.

How a corridor site might stack NEVI with the 30C credit

For a qualifying highway-adjacent site, NEVI and the 30C credit address different parts of the cost, and the interaction follows the same basis rule that governs any grant stacked on 30C. An illustrative four-port DCFC station (as of Q2 2026):

• Total eligible project cost: $600,000
• NEVI grant at 80% of eligible cost: $480,000
• Your remaining out-of-pocket cost: $120,000
• 30C credit at 30% (with prevailing wage and apprenticeship compliance), calculated on your $120,000 incurred cost, not the full $600,000: $36,000
• Net cost to you: $84,000

The 30C credit applies only to the cost you actually bear, not to the portion NEVI covers, and the per-port cap of $100,000 is not reached here. Two practical cautions: the NEVI grant timeline almost certainly runs past June 30, 2026, so do not assume you can capture 30C on a station that is still under construction at the deadline, and you must confirm the site sits in an eligible census tract for 30C, which corridor and rural locations frequently do but not always. See Stacking Incentives for the general rules, and treat any specific figures here as illustrative until reviewed for your project.

For eligibility details and how NEVI fits alongside the 30C credit and CFI grants, see Federal EV Charging Funding.

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Last factually verified: 2026-05-24 against the Alternative Fuels Data Center (NEVI program page), the January 2026 ruling in Washington v. U.S. Department of Transportation, FHWA NEVI guidance and apportionment reporting, and contemporaneous coverage of the funding freeze and reinstatement (ACT News, Electrek, Engineering News-Record).