The Biden-Harris Administration announced this week that the Department of Transportation is now accepting applications for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure ("CFI") Discretionary Grant Program. The CFI Discretionary Grant Program will provide $2.5 billion over five years to applicants, including cities, counties, local governments, and tribes, for the strategic deployment of electric vehicle charging and alternative vehicle-fueling infrastructure.

This competitive grant program builds on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program ("NEVI") and follows the Federal Highway Administration's ("FHWA") recent finalization of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Standards and Requirements. Like the NEVI program, the CFI Discretionary Grant Program contains both a "community" program and a "corridor" program. The former focuses on community charging access, while latter focuses on developing a national network of alternative fuel corridors. 

Electric vehicle projects developed under the CFI Discretionary Grant Program must comply with the FHWA's minimum standards for federally funded electric vehicle infrastructure and the Build America, Buy America implementation plan for electric vehicle charging equipment. Applicants are further encouraged to carefully consider the strategic placement of electric vehicle charging equipment and to emphasize an equitable distribution of project benefits. To this end, the Department of Energy has prepared case studies for applicants considering curbside electric vehicle charging, electric vehicle car sharing, charging stations for multifamily housing, and electric vehicle hubs for other forms of electrified transportation, such as bus and bike. 

The application deadline for participation in the CFI Discretionary Grant Program is May 30, 2023.