Description: The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program is making approximately $100M available to improve reliability of existing electric vehicle infrastructure. Funds must be used to repair or replace existing publicly accessible Level 2 or Direct Current Fast Charging chargers that are broken or non-operational, per the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL's) list of Alternative Fuels Station Locator, as of October 11, 2023.
FHWA anticipates that all eligible projects will likely be awarded.
A review of the latest list of Alternative Fuels Stations revealed twenty (20) publicly accessible Level 2 or DC Fast chargers within CRCOG that are "temporarily unavailable," including within the following municipalities:
- Bloomfield
- East Hartford
- Ellington
- Glastonbury
- Granby
- Hartford
- Mansfield
- New Britain
- Newington
- Simsbury
- West Hartford
- Windsor
***On October 11, 2023, FHWA released the Final Alternative Fuels Station Locator List, which includes sites eligible for this funding opportunity. View the final list of temporarily unavailable EV stations in CT here. Rows highlighted in yellow indicate municipalities within CRCOG.
Additional information and the full list of "temporarily unavailable" chargers in CT can be accessed here or on Grants.gov (Opportunity Number: 693JJ324NF00001)
If you know of a Level 2 or DC Fast Charging station that is broken or non-operational, and it is not on the current list, then you can submit a report via a pre-existing Application Programming Interface to the Alternative Fuels Data Center.
Only public EV charging ports that are identified as "temporarily unavailable" will be eligible for this funding opportunity. A final list will be published on October 11, 2023 and will be posted on Grants.gov under "related documents" for this grant opportunity.
Link to Program Website.
Key Dates and Deadlines:
- Grant Applications are due by 11:59 pm (EST) on November 13, 2023. Apply online at Grants.gov (Opportunity Number: 693JJ324NF00001)
- Questions are due to RAA-NEVI@dot.gov by October 13.
Applicants for Federal grant programs must be registered in SAM.gov and have an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Many municipalities are already have this; you may wish to contact your Administration to confirm if obtaining a UEI is necessary. More information about UEI registration is available from U.S. General Services Administration here.
Eligible Applicants:
- State Departments of Transportation;
- Local Governments;
- CRCOG (in accordance with the definition of "local government" from 2 CFR 200.64).
Cost-Share: 80:20. Federal funding is limited to a maximum of 80% of eligible project costs. Local match in cash or in-kind services.
Other Important Links: Chargers that receive funding will be subject to Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 680. It is recommend that applicants become familiar with the following documents to ensure proposed projects align with FHWA's and program goals:
- 23 CFR Section Part 680
- CTDOT NEVI Plan Webpage
- CTDOT NEVI Plan: Connecticut's Charging Ahead Plan
- FHWA NEVI Standards and Requirements Final Rule or PDF Version
- FHWA NEVI Formula Program Frequently Asked Questions
- FHWA NEVI Formula Program Guidance
- FHWA NEVI Formula Program Fact Sheet
Webinars: FHWA hosted a webinar on September 21 - a link to this recording is available here (passcode: 6agt=iHL); link to slides.
Other Funding Opportunities: This is one of several funding opportunities available related to Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Here is a list of a few other grant programs CRCOG is tracking:
- CTDOT announced a grant solicitation to build-out Phase 1 of the State's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Plan. Learn more here.
- Information about FHWA's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program for FY2022 (now closed) is available here; another round of funding is anticipated in 2023/2024.
To learn more about building electric vehicle charging stations, please attend CRCOG's EV Seminar on October 18, 2023. Presentation materials are available here. An audio recording of this seminar is available in the BIL Workshop Series section of CRCOG's BIL Webpage.
This summary is based on a review of the Notice of Funding Opportunity issued September 13, 2023.
Please contact Elizabeth Sanderson, BIL Coordinator at CRCOG, with questions or if you would like assistance applying for this funding opportunity. Questions about this funding opportunity should be directed to the program email address: RAA-NEVI@dot.gov.
