Across the country, the public and private sectors have made significant efforts to increase the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vehicle charging stations. Of note, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) will provide $7.5 billion to help create a national network of EV charging stations, including $4.75 billion in funds available to states under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. If Pennsylvania’s plan under the NEVI Formula Program is approved, Pennsylvania will have $171.5 million in funds available for EV charging infrastructure over the 2022-2026 period. At the same time, the private sector has been making significant investments in EVs and EV charging stations, with automakers, EV charging companies and electric utilities predominantly leading the charge.

On the utility side, the EV-related initiatives have included EV charging tariffs, investments in make-ready infrastructure for EV charging stations, and the installation and ownership of publicly available EV charging stations. Relevant to Pennsylvania, electric utilities have proposed these types of initiatives in proceedings before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PaPUC) over the past few years. Furthermore, several electric utilities in Pennsylvania are members of the recently announced National Electric Highway Coalition, which is “a collaboration among electric companies that are committed to providing electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations that will allow the public to drive EVs with confidence along major U.S. travel corridors by the end of 2023.”