A federal district judge in Washington has ordered that $5 billion in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funds must be made available to states, after they were illegally frozen in February. The order is a result of a lawsuit filed by 17 states and several nonprofits against President Trump’s attempt to block the funding.
The NEVI program, part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was designed to help states build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country. Since its inception, every state has submitted a plan, and funds have been assigned to various projects nationwide.
One of the key goals of NEVI is to improve the fractured charging infrastructure landscape, which had limitations due to different protocols used by various manufacturers. However, with the introduction of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), many problems are being solved, allowing more vehicles to use the same charging network.
The ruling comes after President Trump attempted to block the funding just weeks into his second term in office. The court has now ordered the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to release the funds immediately. While the ruling is limited to 14 states, it does not affect the other three states that were skipped over due to a lack of specific evidence.
The order takes effect on July 2 and provides an opportunity for those affected states to reapply for funding by modifying their original applications. This decision marks a significant victory for the EV infrastructure development efforts, and President Biden’s NEVI rules are being hailed as a crucial step forward in addressing America’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs.
Source: https://electrek.co/2025/06/25/court-says-us-must-free-up-billions-in-illegally-frozen-electric-car-charger-funds