NATSO and SIGMA Applaud DOT for Issuing Interim NEVI Final Guidance
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — NATSO, representing truck stops and travel centers, and SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers, today applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for issuing interim final guidance governing implementation of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) grant program for alternative fuel infrastructure. The new guidance will help to direct public funds to charging sites that are best positioned to deliver reliable, well-maintained charging infrastructure.
“We appreciate that the Administration is adopting a flexible, consumer-oriented approach to implementing the NEVI Program,” said NATSO and SIGMA. “This guidance marks a constructive step toward addressing the ongoing challenges associated with deploying EV charging infrastructure while also ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively.”
Fuel retailers, who are at the forefront of investments in refueling technologies, appreciate that a key provision within the guidance encourages the selection of charging locations where the charging station owner is also the site host. NATSO and SIGMA have long advocated for this provision, which will accelerate construction timelines and ensure that investments made with public funds are directed to the ideal site locations. NEVI dollars can go the furthest when they mobilize grant recipients to not only install charging stations but also to provide an ongoing, positive consumer experience for EV drivers.
“Ensuring that charging stations are owned and operated by private entities with a vested interest in the site’s success reduces the risk of stranded assets and minimizes the potential for underutilized or unreliable infrastructure,” NATSO and SIGMA said. “We applaud FHWA and DOT for this pro-consumer policy and encourage the agencies to approve only those state plans that explicitly include this prioritization.”
NATSO and SIGMA remain committed to working with federal and state agencies to ensure that the NEVI program continues to be implemented in a consumer-oriented fashion that supports a reliable, nationwide network of public charging infrastructure.
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