For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie Greger, Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
REPORT: New Jersey making progress on spending federal EV charging dollars, but still has a long way to go
Amid high gas prices and a tight state budget, New Jersey must do more to swiftly spend federal funding for EV charging to help drivers go electric
TRENTON — New Jersey made meaningful progress on rolling out federal EV charging dollars in 2025, but the vast majority of funding remains unspent, according to a new Sierra Club report out today.
“New Jersey has positioned itself as a climate leader, but leadership must continue to be measured by results. Our state’s rollout of federally funded EV charging has been far too slow, leaving residents without the access they were promised,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This moment is an opportunity we can’t afford to waste: accelerating deployment of EV charging stations would lower transportation costs, improve air quality, create local jobs, and make clean energy accessible to more New Jerseyans. The funding is here, the need is clear, and now the state must deliver with urgency.”
In February 2025, the Trump administration illegally froze the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. Sierra Club, New Jersey, and other states and nonprofit partners challenged that action in federal court and successfully lifted the freeze. NEVI funds were unavailable to New Jersey for nearly five months in 2025 and only fully secured after a final court order in January 2026. Despite these months-long obstructions, 2025 was still the most productive year in the program’s four-year history.
States have to jump through a lot of hoops to implement and spend federal funds for EV charging — including developing statewide plans for NEVI, selecting projects, “obligating” funding (which legally binds the federal government to reimburse their spending), and moving ahead with permitting, design, and construction. By the end of 2025, New Jersey had:
- Opened 0 NEVI charging stations to the public.
- Obligated 9% ($9M) and spent 0.62% ($0.65M) out of its $104M of available federal dollars for EV charging stations along highways
- Obligated 1% ($0.12M) and spent 0% ($0M) out of its $10M of available federal dollars for EV charging stations in communities
Obligated 100% ($226M) and spent 0% ($0M) out of its $226M of available federal dollars for EV charging infrastructure at ports
To speed up the rollout of federal EV charging funds, the report recommends New Jersey and other states use their attorneys general offices to address issues with access to funds, engage with utility regulators and public service commissions to stretch funding, set targets and timelines for rolling out funds, and maximize coordination between state agencies, project applicants, and electric utilities.
Beyond federally-funded projects, last year was also the biggest year on record for deployment of privately-funded EV charging stations. According to data released by Paren, more than 18,000 new fast-charging ports were installed nationwide in 2025 (a 30% year-over-year increase). As of today, New Jersey has at least 1,803 charging stations with 6,001 charging ports open to the public, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about our work in New Jersey, visit www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.