Electric vehicle drivers seeking a West Coast odyssey along Interstate 5 should soon feel less range anxiety thanks to funding provided by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

But those looking to take Highway 101 will have to wait longer to be assured of convenient charging along that more scenic route along the coast.

Plans filed this week by California, Oregon and Washington to obtain funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program show all three states using their initial round money to prioritize the buildout of fast chargers along the I-5 corridor.

For California, that will entail deploying new chargers or upgrading existing ones at a number of I-5 interchanges with other east-west highways that the state is already working to make travel-ready for EVs. Oregon and Washington will seek to fill gaps along I-5, while setting the stage to cover the vast interior sections of their states.

Administered by the FHWA and U.S. Department of Energy through the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (JOET), the NEVI program intends to build out a national network of 500,000 DC fast chargers (DCFCs) using $5 billion in IIJA formula funding granted to the states over the next five years. NEVI guidelines require states to install DCFCs of at least 150 kW along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) at distances no greater than 50 miles apart and within 1 mile of a highway exit.

All 50 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico, submitted plans to receive their share of funding by the Aug. 1 deadline, according to the FHWA. The agency now has until Sept. 30 to approve the plans. (See related story, States File Plans on Deadline for Federal EV Charging Funds.)

Oregon

While the goal of the NEVI program is to facilitate interstate travel for EVs, state plans are primarily focusing on local needs around charging in order to encourage adoption of clean transportation.

Oregon and Washington face similar challenges in deploying chargers in ways that overcome range anxiety. Both states contain heavily urbanized areas along the I-5 corridor west of the Cascade Range, where EV adoption rates are relatively high compared with national averages. In the sparsely populated areas east of the Cascades, where population centers are dispersed, residents are more skeptical of the practicality of electrifying transportation, given daily travel distances.

The Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) plan said the agency will use the state’s $52 million in NEVI funds to develop and upgrade 65 DCFC stations across Oregon, resulting at least 260 DCFC ports statewide and doubling the state’s fast-charging capacity.

According to the plan, just one corridor in Oregon is NEVI-compliant, a section of I-5 from Portland to Eugene. ODOT expects to make the rest of the state’s I-5 corridor, a major interstate freight route, NEVI compliant later this year with the initial round of funding. The state will also this year build out chargers along U.S. Route 97, a north-south highway stretching the length of Central Oregon from the Columbia River to the California border. The high-traffic I-205 corridor in the Portland metro area, adjacent to many disadvantaged communities (DACs), would also be upgraded this year.

Fiscal Year 2023 funding will focus on the east-west I-84, I-82 and U.S. 20 corridors. “U.S. 20 is a route of strategic statewide importance and a freight corridor that will provide additional rural EV charging coverage across the central part of Oregon,” ODOT’s filing states.

FY 2024 will focus on U.S. 26, U.S. 101 and I-405. “U.S. 26 will add additional coverage to Central Oregon, and completion of U.S. 101 will bolster the existing DC fast charging infrastructure along Oregon’s coast. Completion of I-405 will support the high traffic volumes and DAC populations it serves in the Portland metropolitan area,” the filing says.

ODOT said it will use the NEVI program to build on the stakeholder engagement pursued in last year’s Transportation Electrification Needs Analysis (TEINA) process, which worked to identify the state’s highest-need charging locations with an eye to serving urban dwellers in multifamily housing, rural areas and disadvantaged communities. (See Oregon Study Charts Explosive Growth of EV Chargers.)

ODOT says it will also not own, install or maintain any charging stations, but will instead partner with private sector companies after issuing “corridor-specific” competitive requests for proposals.

Washington

Washington will also partner with the private sector to build EV infrastructure, under the oversight of the state’s Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

“Funds made available under the NEVI formula program will be used to contract with third-party entities for the acquisition, installation, and operation and maintenance of publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure to ensure maximal efficient use of federal funding,” the WSDOT filing states.

Washington, which expects to receive $71 million in NEVI funds over the next five years, recently ranked as the third largest U.S. market for battery-electric vehicles. The state’s EV registrations increased from 57,338 in December 2019 to 96,961 in April 2022.

Washington’s plan contains no hard figures for charger deployments, instead noting the state will rely on its Zero-Emission Vehicle Mapping and Forecasting Tool (ZEV-MFT) — which is still under development — to site chargers with the guidance of the state’s Interagency Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council (IEVCC).

Chargers on portions of the state’s corridors already meet NEVI standards, including areas of I-5, U.S. 101 on the Olympic Peninsula and the east-west I-90 connecting the Seattle area to the eastern part of the state.

“The priority deployments [of EV chargers] will include completing the state’s north/south and east/west interstates, I-5 and I-90, respectively, to the federally defined built-out standards,” the filing says. “Secondary priorities for investments include completing the I-82/I-182 and U.S. 395 Alternative Fuel Corridors, followed by U.S. 101 and U.S. 195. State funding of DC fast chargers will supplement corridors that may not receive federal funding in the initial years of NEVI funding.”

WSDOT says it will reprioritize projects based on annual updates of the Washington State Plan for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment, as informed by ZEV-MFT and advised by the IEVCC.

California

With nearly 565,000 EVs registered in the state, California is by far the U.S. leader in EV adoption. As of February, the state had 71,236 Level 2 chargers and 7,158 fast chargers installed, according to figures provided by the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom. But only a small fraction of the state’s fast chargers are NEVI compliant, the state’s plan shows.

In its draft filing for the FWHA, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said its deployment plan for the $384 million in funding slated for the state will focus on continued investments in light-duty vehicle charging infrastructure, while also considering projects that can accommodate medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

California has nominated 20 new corridors (in orange) as national Alternative Fuel Corridors, emphasizing routes in rural, disadvantaged and tribal area. | Caltrans

According to the filing, the California Energy Commission and Caltrans will jointly develop a competitive grant-funding opportunity (GFO) to solicit applications to install DCFCs along the state’s AFCs.

California has this year nominated 20 new corridors to become designated AFCs, emphasizing routes in rural, disadvantaged and tribal areas. Most of the new corridors would intersect I-5, and one further facilitates interstate travel by linking I-5 to U.S. 97 leading into Oregon.

“California will invite applicants to submit proposals for segments based on an analysis of gaps in the current network, future charger needs and geography. Specific sites for stations will not be identified,” Caltrans said in its plan.

Applicants are instead invited to submit proposals that meet minimum standards for DCFC power levels, number of chargers and maximum distance between chargers. Standards for corridor segments may also exceed NEVI standards, depending on location, traffic and existing electric utility infrastructure, the plan said.

Applicants can also propose to upgrade existing charging facilities to meet NEVI requirements, Caltrans said.

“To ensure efficient and effective deployment that aligns with broader goals, segments will be ranked according to funding priority. California expects to provide funding for projects in rank order until funding is exhausted. Each update of the deployment plan will assess completed solicitations and re-evaluate priorities,” the agency said.

Taken together, the three state plans should help realize the vision of the West Coast Electric Highway, a partnership among agencies and organizations in the states and the Canadian province of British Columbia to install fast-charging stations every 25 to 50 miles along I-5 and other major roadways in the region.

“The Electric Highway gives electric vehicle drivers ‘range confidence’ that recharging is available should they want to travel between communities or make long-distance road trips,” the collaborative says on its website. “Knowing that charging is easy and convenient helps encourage residents and businesses to buy and drive plug-in electric vehicles.”