The NEVI EV Charging Construction Program: $4.4 Billion, a Federal Freeze, and What's Actually Getting Built in 2026

When Congress created the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, the vision was straightforward: give states $4.4 billion over five years to build a reliable national EV charging network along Interstate highway corridors. Five years later, the program's execution has been significantly more complicated — buffeted by administrative freeze, budget cuts, guidance revisions, and slow state deployment. As of early 2026, states had spent just 2 percent, or approximately $94 million, of the available $4.4 billion, according to Federal Highway Administration data cited by E&E News. The contractors and electricians who were ready to build are finally seeing movement — but on a much smaller scale than originally projected.

How NEVI Got Here

The program's troubled deployment reflects a combination of structural complexity and political disruption. State plans under NEVI require federal approval before funds can be deployed. The process of selecting sites, procuring contractors, securing permits, and meeting federal requirements — including the requirement that stations use the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard, a requirement later modified to accommodate NACS/Tesla connectors — proved more time-consuming than planners anticipated.

Then came the policy reversal. In early 2025, the incoming Trump administration froze the NEVI program pending review. The freeze lasted approximately seven months before guidance was lifted in August 2025. During that period, states that had selected contractors and were preparing to break ground faced indefinite delays. Some contractors prepared to build EV charging infrastructure continue to face significant delays as states restart procurement efforts and reprocess applications, according to the Independent Electrical Contractors, whose members include many of the electrical contractors positioned to do this work.

The budget blow came next. In February 2026, President Trump signed a continuing resolution that included a half-billion-dollar cut to NEVI — reducing the funding authorized for EV charger installation in 2026 to approximately $300 million. That is a dramatic reduction from the roughly $1.4 billion states had previously obligated or were planning to deploy in the program year. The IEC called $1.4 billion in previously obligated funds "an unsure bet" for federal reimbursement.

What Is Actually Getting Built

Despite the policy turbulence, GreenCars reports that approximately 56 to 57 NEVI-funded stations were operational across 15 states as of early 2025, with more under construction or in planning stages as states resume activity under the August 2025 guidance update. Oregon, Colorado, and Idaho are among the states moving forward after their revised plans received approval. Arizona, Maine, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Washington are also advancing updated plans for 2026 deployment.

The revised guidance removed the strict 50-mile maximum spacing requirement between stations on Interstate corridors, giving states flexibility to determine appropriate spacing based on their geography, traffic patterns, and existing private charging infrastructure. States that have fully developed Alternative Fuel Corridor networks can now use NEVI funds for EV charger installation on other public roads statewide — a significant expansion of eligible deployment locations. Before the budget cut, analysts were projecting NEVI-funded sites would double by the end of 2026. That projection is now significantly less certain given the $300 million ceiling.

The broader public charging network continues to grow independent of NEVI. The United States had over 81,000 charging stations with more than 250,000 individual charging ports as of late 2025 — a 17 percent jump in station count since the start of that year. The private market, led by Tesla's Supercharger network and growing deployments by ChargePoint, Blink, EVgo, and others, is advancing independently of federal grant programs. Projections suggest the U.S. could have approximately 100,000 public fast charging ports by 2027, a number that may be achievable through private investment even if NEVI underdelivers.

The Construction and Workforce Opportunity

For electrical contractors, NEVI represents a specific and growing category of work. Each DC fast charging station — capable of providing 100 miles of range in under 10 minutes using a 250-kilowatt charger — requires electrical service upgrades, conduit work, pad or canopy construction, and commissioning. Installations often involve work from the utility transformer to the charger pedestal, including trenching, cabling, switchgear, metering, and control systems. For many rural and highway-corridor sites, the service upgrade itself — upgrading inadequate electrical service to support DC fast charging — is the most complex and time-consuming part of the project.

The IEC notes that its member contractors are positioned and trained for this work. The advocacy organization has been pressing Congress and the administration to maintain stable NEVI funding, arguing that the construction and installation jobs created by EV charging infrastructure are specifically suited to the electrical contracting workforce that cannot easily pivot to other sectors when NEVI deployments stall.

Beyond NEVI, the broader EV infrastructure buildout is driving electrical construction across the economy. Large employers, retail chains, parking structures, multifamily housing developments, and public transit agencies are all in various stages of electrifying their facilities. The California Energy Commission tracks federal EV infrastructure programs and notes that funding from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant program — which targets locations not on the Interstate Alternative Fuel Corridor network, including community destinations and multi-unit housing — continues to flow even as NEVI faces budget constraints.

The Road Ahead

With only $300 million in federal NEVI funding available for 2026 and states competing for limited reimbursement, the EV charging construction pipeline will be more selective and competitive this year than at any point since the program launched. States will prioritize their most construction-ready projects, giving an advantage to sites where design, permitting, utility coordination, and contractor procurement are already complete. Projects that have cleared the most pre-construction hurdles will be first in line for the limited funding.

For the construction industry, the longer-term trajectory remains positive. The U.S. has committed, through both federal mandate and market forces, to a transition that will require tens of thousands of EV charging locations over the next decade. The NEVI program may be underfunded and delayed, but it represents a floor of federal commitment, not a ceiling of market demand. Electrical contractors who build expertise in EV infrastructure installation — from service upgrades to high-voltage DC systems — are positioning for a category of work that will grow regardless of which federal program is funding it in any given year.