Federal EV charger money for Austin on hold
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Federal dollars meant to boost the number of electric vehicle chargers in Austin are now on hold, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, an Austin Democrat, tells Axios.
Why it matters: The withholding of the federal funds is a window into the impact of the Trump administration's environmental policies — and has big consequences for the automotive industry.
Catch up quick: Per an announcement in early January — before the change in administration — $15 million from the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was meant to double the number of fast chargers in Austin and add a total of over 200 new ports altogether.
- Austin wants to install 37,000 charging stations over the next 15 years to meet its climate goals.
- Austin Energy currently operates about 1,500 Level 2 charging ports and 30 DC fast chargers in the Austin area. The fast chargers charge ten times as quickly.
Between the lines: The new administration is slamming the brakes on the disbursements.
- Spurring a switch from gasoline-powered to battery-electric vehicles was a key part of former President Biden's climate agenda.
- But shortly after his inauguration, President Trump ordered federal agencies to immediately halt disbursements related to that switch.
What they're saying: "This vital funding was announced only three weeks ago and has not yet been disbursed," Dogget ttold Axios via email. "We cannot permit this pause to become a broken promise to Austin Energy and other local governments, which are relying on these funds to develop a comprehensive electric charging network."
The other side: Hours after taking office, Trump signed a broad energy-focused directive that includes a plan to "eliminate the electric vehicle (EV) mandate" in order to "promote true consumer choice," per the executive order.
Follow the money: The federal cash may never be released.
- According to the order, the money won't be released until agency heads "have determined that such disbursements are consistent" with the goal of eliminating "unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs."
By the numbers: The number of public electric vehicle charging stations in Texas has more than doubled in the past four years, per federal data.
- There are now about 4,000 electric vehicle charging stations offering more than 11,000 charging ports in Texas, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy.
- That's up from roughly 1,470 public charging stations with about 4,500 ports in January 2021.
The big picture: Nationwide, there are more than 75,000 public electric vehicle charging stations, offering more than 200,000 hookups, per the federal data.
Yes, but: Charging might be getting easier — but the U.S. is still far short of the estimated 1.2 million public chargers that a National Renewable Energy Laboratory report says will be needed by 2030 to support expected EV sales.
Reality check: Electric vehicle sales are growing, but far off the expected pace.
- Only 8.1% of new car sales in 2024 were EVs, according to Cox Automotive. Still, that's a record 1.3 million EVs sold.
- Electric vehicles made up 9.6% of new registrations in Austin — and 5.8% of new registrations in Texas — between January and November of last year, per data made available to Axios from automotive intelligence firm S&P Global Mobility.
The bottom line: People won't buy an electric car unless they're confident they have somewhere to charge it.
- And companies won't invest in charging infrastructure without enough EV owners to plug in.