Florida Politics reports, Florida DOT is in line to receive $198 million out of $5 billion in federal funding to be distributed to state transportation departments over the next five years through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. The department, local governments and tribes “will also be able to seek apportionments from a separate $2.5 billion discretionary grant program that is ‘still pending guidance’ from the [Joint Office of Energy and Transportation].” FDOT has identified 15 “major interstate gaps” as targets for the first phase of EV infrastructure upgrades. It hosted an industry forum in November, where more than 450 stakeholders gave feedback to inform the department’s selection process. Trey Tillander, PE, executive director of transportation technologies for FDOT, said consumer costs for charging at the new stations will be market-driven, but that prospective operators are looking more to amenities offered at the charging stations for their profits. The article notes that Florida has seen EV registrations increase by 87 percent over the past 15 months, “placing it behind only California nationally in battery-powered automobiles owned.”
