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Amid high gas prices and a tight state budget, Pennsylvania should continue to swiftly spend federal funding for EV charging to help drivers go electric
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania opened more federally-funded EV charging stations than any other state in the country last year, according to a new Sierra Club report out April 30, 2026.
“We’re seeing both red and blue states move rapidly to advance their federally-funded EV charging projects," said Nate Reagle, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Clean Energy Program Advocate. “The limiting factor on progress isn’t politics or experience — it’s ambition and willingness to deliver services to constituents, and we’re glad Pennsylvania is one of the states leading the way.”
In February 2025, the Trump administration illegally froze the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. Sierra Club, a coalition of states, and nonprofit partners challenged that action in federal court and successfully lifted the freeze. NEVI funds were unavailable to Pennsylvania for roughly seven 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, Pennsylvania had:
- Opened 21 NEVI charging stations to the public.
- Obligated 99.7% ($171.5M) out of its $172M of available federal dollars for EV charging stations along highways
To speed up the rollout of federal EV charging funds, the report recommends that other states adopt many of Pennsylvania’s practices, including coordination between state agencies, public utilities commissions, and other stakeholders.
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, Pennsylvania has roughly 1,987 charging stations with 5,653 charging ports open to the public, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
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, visit www.sierraclub.org.