Federal ruling ends freeze on EV infrastructure program

Federal ruling ends freeze on EV infrastructure program

Published on January 27, 2026 by Dave Kovaleski

A U.S. District Court Judge in the Western District of Washington ruled in favor of a lawsuit that challenged the Trump administration's freeze of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.

The NEVI program is a $5 billion federal initiative to build reliable, high-speed electric vehicle charging infrastructure along America's highways. Judge Tana Lin's decision ensures that states can move forward with building NEVI-funded charging infrastructure.

Further, the order permanently bars the U.S. Department of Transportation from withdrawing states' funds, canceling implementation plans, or otherwise interfering with the program in violation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In addition, it allows long-delayed charging projects to now move forward.

The case was originally brought by 17 States, led by Washington, Colorado and California.

The Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Climate Solutions, Plug In America, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, West End Revitalization Association, and CleanAIRE NC later joined the suit.

"We're glad to see the Court put an end to the chaos and uncertainty created by the Trump administration's unlawful actions," Sierra Club Senior Attorney Joe Halso said. "The administration illegally froze the NEVI program and halted critical EV charging projects for months, delaying and denying our members' access to infrastructure Congress had already funded. Our goal all along has been simple: restore NEVI and ensure states can build the nationwide charging network Congress envisioned. Today's decision delivers that result."

Last June, Lin issued a preliminary injunction that ordered the lifting of the freeze of roughly $1 billion in NEVI funds for 14 states. Following that preliminary ruling, the Trump administration restarted the program in August, but put up other roadblocks to access funds for EV charging infrastructure, the he plaintiffs said.

"The NEVI program is an essential element in the national transition to electric vehicles. It creates a national network of high-speed highway charging from coast to coast," Joel Levin, Plug In America Executive Director said. "We're pleased that the Judge's final decision creates some certainty at last and allows states to move forward and get their highway charging up and running."