Federal NEVI Program Grant Opportunity Launches in Oregon

The first grant funding round for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program opens today, June 13, announced the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The federal NEVI program funds a nationwide network of public DC fast chargers for electric vehicles and will make it more convenient to quickly charge an EV on longer trips.

In Oregon, the first round of grants will fund DC fast charging station projects on Interstate 205, Interstate 5 south of Eugene, and U.S. Highway 97. A small group of pre-qualified EV charging companies will have two months to apply to the grant opportunity. After ODOT reviews applications and select finalists, the agency expects to award funding for NEVI charging station projects before the end of 2024. 

This is the first of at least four planned rounds of NEVI grant funding in Oregon. ODOT expects to open the second grant funding round in the first half of 2025. 

Visit Oregon’s NEVI webpage for details about the roads included in each funding round, list of pre-qualified companies, station design, payment and uptime requirements, and more. 

Important to remember: ODOT doesn’t install, own or maintain public EV charging infrastructure. For the NEVI program, the private EV charging companies awarded grant funding will install, own and maintain the charging stations. ODOT will ensure their accountability to state and federal standards. The private companies will also select the final charging station locations. 

More information about the NEVI program

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program will establish a nationwide network of public DC fast charging stations in all 50 states over five years along major highways and interstates. The funding comes from the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Oregon is allocated $52 million over five years through the program.

The NEVI Program is one of several ways ODOT is working with federal and state partners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and address climate change in Oregon. Data says that by 2050, Oregon is on track to reduce emissions by about 60%. Learn how we’ll get there on ODOT’s transportation emissions website.