Long lines at chargers. Range anxiety on road trips. Stretches of interstate with few, if any, charging stations. They’re all big concerns if you drive an electric vehicle in South Florida or just about anywhere in the state.
But in one of his first moves in office, President Donald Trump pulled the plug on a Biden administration plan to help fund a nationwide, interconnected EV charging network. Then, facing legal challenges and backlash from lawmakers, the Trump administration suddenly reversed course last week, unfreezing the program and adding new rules touted to “cut red tape” and make it easier to install chargers.
“While I don’t agree with subsidizing green energy, we will respect Congress’s will and make sure this program uses federal resources efficiently,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote in a statement on the department’s website.
So when will Florida — home to the second-most EV drivers in the country — begin to see a long-term cure for long-distance range anxiety?
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That’s still unclear. Until the shift by the White House, some state leaders had been linking EVs to “woke” green infrastructure. And even though the state has long been eligible for nearly $200 million in federal funding to bankroll EV charging installations, Florida has yet to open applications for businesses to access the money. The state lags behind many others in building its charging network and funding specifically for more chargers in Miami-Dade and Broward remains frozen.
But many industry experts, once worried that White House resistance could pump the brakes on the fast-growing EV market, have regained some optimism. They believe the Trump administration’s pledge to ease certain requirements — such as a Biden mandate to prioritize disadvantaged communities — could encourage hesitant states like Florida to start rolling out what is known as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
Businesses planning to use federal funds to build charging stations support the idea, welcoming “fewer hoops” and “more flexibility,” said Ryan McKinnon, spokesperson for Charge Ahead Partnership, a coalition that includes gas station giants Buc-ee’s and Wawa.
“This could really open up the door to states saying, ‘Oh this isn’t so hard after all, and we can make this happen,” McKinnon said.
But some critics argue that, despite the relaxed rules, the Trump delay still did more harm than help. Joe Halso of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization which joined Plug In America and 17 states in suing the federal government over the administration’s threat to shutdown funding, argued that the so-called effort to “cut red tape” instead caused a “needless six-month delay.”
“The new guidance is window dressing,” Halso said. “We have a continued unlawful freeze, and the network Americans were promised is still on hold.”
Halso called the updated rules “bare bones” and criticized the federal government for leaving key questions unanswered — like when the federal government will sign off on state plans and formally release money.
There are some other ripple effects, mainly eliminating what might be deemed “woke” rules. Under Trump’s plan, the state won’t have to prove they’re using minority-owned businesses or following labor and safety standards. And they will no longer need a plan for extreme weather events, such as extreme flooding or hurricanes.
Ingrid Malmgren, senior policy director at Plug In America, a national nonprofit for EV drivers, agreed the tone shift may push hesitant states to act. “Those not on board don’t have an excuse,” Malmgren said.
Underserved communities could be left behind
But the new rules also almost certainly mean some communities will get left behind in upgrading EV charging. Since states are no longer required to install chargers in disadvantaged neighborhoods, there’s no guarantee rural or remote areas will get as many chargers as densely populated cities.
This was actually a major reason the program was created in the first place. Federal funding was meant to help cover the losses businesses face when installing chargers in low-traffic areas that wouldn’t be profitable otherwise. The government’s support aimed to fill these gaps and ensure consistent coverage along the interstates, so large stretches wouldn’t be skipped just because they’re not financially attractive.
“Nobody should be left behind in this transportation revolution that’s happening,” said Stephen Smith, the executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “There is very clear evidence that EVs, because of their lower maintenance, are very valuable to people who are on low to moderate incomes.”
Despite the federal setbacks, data shows overall charging stations from the private sector are still growing substantially, according to Bill Ferro, the co-CEO of Paren, an EV charging data platform.
“We’re projecting around close to 17,000 ports to be installed in the U.S. this year, which would be an all-time high,” Ferro said. “Of those, maybe 400 of those are probably going to be NEVI charging ports.”
Programs still paused
Not all Biden-era EV charging programs got resurrected. The Trump administration also pumped the brakes on more than $4.7 million worth of charging station projects in Miami-Dade and more than $17 million that went to the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The money came from the Biden administration’s massive program to rebuild the nation’s aging infrastructure and was created to help local neighborhoods, in particular, “underserved and disadvantaged communities,” increase the number of chargers in areas that would be easy for everyone to drive to — like schools or parks.
That program is still shut down in Miami-Dade and Broward, and neither county has heard when — or if — the funding will start running again. Miami-Dade did not respond to a request for comment. But Greg Stuart, the executive director of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, said they’re optimistic.
“We’re happy that things are working their way through Washington,” Stuart said.
Despite the Trump administration announcement, the national network program also remains in limbo until the final regulations come out. Florida’s plan was previously approved under the Biden administration, but states were given until Sept. 10 to submit updated plans. Florida Department of Transportation planning documents show the state spent more than $9 million of the nearly $200 million allocated to Florida but the details of where that money went aren’t clear. The DOT did not respond to requests for comment.
“We want to see the state engage and we hope that this won’t be a political football and that won’t be the determining factor in whether the state takes advantage of federal funds that will actually help their citizens,” said Smith of the Southern Alliance for Green Energy.
Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for the Miami Herald funded by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation and MSC Cruises in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
This story was originally published by the Miami Herald and shared in partnership with the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a multi-newsroom initiative founded by the Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Orlando Sentinel, WLRN Public Media and the Tampa Bay Times.
