EV chargers still scarce as states leave most federal money on the table
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As Americans consider whether to switch from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles, a new report shows the nations EV infrastructure is developing more slowly than expected.
The Sierra Club found that 96% of the funds Congress allocated in 2021 and 2022 to support the U.S. EV charging network remain unspent. While about one-third of the money has been obligated, meaning committed to specific projects, roughly two-thirds is still available.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program was designed to build a nationwide network of charging stations to make long-distance EV travel easier. It provides funding to states that open charging stations along interstates and major highways. The Sierra Club says Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Texas have emerged as leaders in deploying chargers.
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At a time when both state and household budgets are stretched thin, governors cant afford to leave this funding on the table, said Katherine Garca, director of the Clean Transportation for All campaign at the Sierra Club. We all benefit when states spend their federal transportation funding to improve transportation infrastructure, create good jobs and deliver climate progress.
The Sierra Club says the Trump administration has made it harder for states to access the money by requiring that EV chargers be fully manufactured in the United States.
The Trump administration has done everything it can to stop states from accessing these funds as Congress intended, yet weve still seen progress accelerate, said Josh Stebbins, managing attorney at the Sierra Club and author of the report. To keep the momentum going, states, municipalities and other grant recipients need to act urgently and efficiently to obligate and spend federal EV charging dollars. It would be a major unforced error for states to allow funding to expire or be clawed back.
Despite the hurdles, 2025 was the biggest year yet for EV charger installations, with 18,000 new fast public chargers coming online, the Sierra Club said.
The Trump administration froze funding in February 2025 for the program, but a coalition of states successfully pushed to have it restored.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized the Biden administrations rollout of the network, but says the rollout has improved since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025.
Weve already updated the guidance, slashed red tape and made it easier for states to efficiently build out this infrastructuredelivering nearly double the number of charging ports completed during the Biden administration, Duffy said earlier this year. Now were ensuring that if Congress wants to see these chargers built, we put America first. Doing so will unleash American manufacturing, protect our national security and prevent taxpayer dollars from subsidizing foreign adversaries.
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Most EV owners charge their vehicles at home overnight, depending on the type of charger. Public fast chargerscapable of recharging an EV in about an hourremain limited and can cost more per fill-up than gasoline. They are most commonly used by drivers on road trips.
