Trump Abandons EV Charger Funding, Sparks Chaos: What’s Next for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

The Right to Move: Trump’s Executive Order on Electric Vehicle Incentives

As President Donald Trump takes aim at incentives for electric vehicles and funding allocated by the Biden administration to build out their infrastructure, a flurry of executive orders have been signed, including “Unleashing American Energy,” which pauses the disbursement of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This has left states and municipalities in limbo, including California’s Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, which announced last week that they had received a $14.3 million grant to fund 44 chargers across 13 cities. However, this grant, provided through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI), has yet to be contracted, putting those counties at risk of missing out.

“President Trump does not have the authority to impound funds that Congress has appropriated – it is entirely unconstitutional,” said U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA-18). “With that being said, I understand the confusion and concern that Republicans in Congress – with Trump’s encouragement – could, in a future reconciliation package, try to rescind the money that originally passed with strong bipartisan support.”

Tiffany Wise-West, leading the project for the city of Santa Cruz and serving as its Sustainability and Resiliency Officer, stated only that city staff is “evaluating an executive order signed by the new president, which unfortunately puts the certainty of the funding into question.”

What does this mean for the future of electric vehicle infrastructure? With many grants already allocated by the federal government, this order creates regulatory uncertainty around planned infrastructure projects. In California, Massachusetts, and other states, the impact of this order is still unfolding, with states like Ohio moving at a more rapid pace to build out public charging infrastructure.

In Massachusetts, the Department of Transportation has yet to fund a single dollar of the $63 million allotted through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program, making it a laggard among other states. Meanwhile, Ohio has already opened 19 new stations, funded 80% by federal dollars and 20% by contractors.

What does the future hold? Trump’s ability to pull back funding approved by Congress is technically limited, but he has made it clear that he plans to challenge the Impoundment Control Act. If successful, statehouses and local governments expecting those funds may never see what they haven’t already spent. As for contracted awards, his administration could pressure federal agencies to breach those agreements and not pay out. The outcome is uncertain, but one thing is clear: the road ahead will be riddled with legal battles and uncertainty for electric vehicle infrastructure projects across the country.

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