Georgia resumes work on EV charging stations after federal funds restored
Georgia’s electric vehicle charging station build-out is back on track after a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Transportation unlawfully withheld funding, clearing the way for the state to resume work on dozens of planned charging sites.
Georgia was allotted $134 million through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, a $5 billion initiative created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2022. Through the program, the Peach State has selected 31 charging station sites so far, but has obligated only about $12.1 million, roughly 9%, of its total allocation, according to Anne Blair, vice president of policy and freight with the Electrification Coalition.
“The NEVI program is a national effort to build out that network of fast charging,” said Stan Cross, Electric Transportation Policy Director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “It’s so important that the Georgia DOT seizes the opportunity to get these stations in the ground to make sure that the national network runs through Georgia and not around Georgia.”
Georgia is the number one state in the southeast and the number two state nationally for EV and battery manufacturing, according to Cross. There has been more than $27.3 billion in e-mobility investments announced in Georgia since 2018, according to Georgia Economic Development’s website.
“Georgia has so much riding on the success of the electric transportation market,” Cross said. “It is the largest economic development opportunity the state has ever had, and it is just primed to benefit tremendously from strong growth in that sector.”
NEVI-funded charging projects in GA
All 31 charging sites selected before the freeze are moving forward again, including five round one sites already under development and 26 round two locations advancing through final federal environmental reviews, according to GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale.
“Five Round 1 sites are in development, and all 26 Round 2 locations, including those in Middle Georgia, are moving forward again after the federal freeze was lifted,” said Dale. “The Round 1 sites were not impacted by the funding freeze.”
Round two site selections include one location in Macon‑Bibb along I‑16. Other Middle Georgia counties receiving charging stations are Wilkinson, Baldwin and Morgan.
Timeline of the funding freeze and restored NEVI allocations
The saga began when President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, mandating all federal agencies to pause disbursement of funds related to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the NEVI program. The freeze formally took effect in February 2025.
In response, the attorneys general from 16 states and the District of Columbia filed a multi-state lawsuit seeking a court order against the Federal Highway Administration actions and a restoration of the NEVI funding for the states, according to Blair.
On June 30, 2025, a federal judge ordered the release of about $1 billion of the electric vehicle charging funds that had been frozen, allowing money to flow again to 14 states involved in the lawsuit.
That following August, the Federal Highway Administration issued updated guidance for the program, which lifted the funding freeze for money allocated between fiscal years 2022 and 2025 nationwide. Under the new guidance, states that submitted plans for fiscal year 2026 and received federal approval were allowed to access their full NEVI allocations covering fiscal years 2022 through 2026. Georgia met those qualifications and was now eligible.
On Jan. 23, a federal judge issued a final ruling, determining that Trump officials violated the Administrative Procedure Act, a 1946 law that establishes how executive agencies make decisions and change policies. The ruling also ended the lawsuit over the electric vehicle charging program and cleared the way for states to move forward with approved spending plans.
However, Georgia’s NEVI funding faces uncertainty again in the federal budget process, according to Cross and Blair.
Congress could make additional changes to the program as part of ongoing budget negotiations and the broader Surface Transportation Reauthorization process, which sets funding for highways, transit and other transportation programs every five years, according to Cross.
The latest federal transportation bill for fiscal year 2026 eliminates $879 million in NEVI funds, including $503 million from unspent allocations originally awarded in 2022. Georgia received about $19.9 million of those FY22 funds, and the state has not yet obligated all of it, putting some of that money at risk, according to Blair.
It is not yet clear how NEVI allocations will be affected.
Electric transportation advocates are pushing to preserve and even expand the program, which was created under the last reauthorization and has supported initiatives like electric school buses and other clean transportation investments nationwide, Cross said.
This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 11:46 AM.
