Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (EVC-RAA) program

The Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (EVC-RAA) Program is part of a national initiative administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This law authorized the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to fund electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure expansion throughout the United States. Specifically, 10% of NEVI funds were set aside for state and local governments in need of additional assistance for EV infrastructure. The EVC-RAA program utilizes a portion of that 10% set-aside to repair and replace non-functional or unreliable EV chargers. The aim is to improve the performance and reliability of existing EV infrastructure nationwide. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) applied for and was awarded $5 million through the EVC-RAA program to support its efforts in upgrading broken or underperforming EV chargers within the state. The grant funding is restricted to charging stations that need improvements to meet the federal standard outlined in 23 CFR 680. These requirements include the operation of a minimum of four charging ports per station and maintenance of uptime greater than 97%. This investment is designed to ensure a more dependable EV charging experience across Pennsylvania, aligning with broader federal goals to promote the adoption of electric vehicles. Two separate funding rounds were conducted under PennDOT’s EVC-RAA initiative. Round 1 opened on July 2, 2024, and closed on August 14, 2024. Proposals were reviewed through August and September 2024, with conditional award notifications issued in October 2024. Agreement execution for awarded projects was scheduled from December 2024 through January 2025. This round resulted in two awarded proposals. A second opportunity, labeled Round 1A, opened on November 11, 2024, and closed on January 10, 2025. PennDOT awarded one proposal in this round, with awards announced in February 2025. Following the review, PennDOT initiated the NEPA process through March and April 2025, and agreement execution is scheduled for May through June 2025. A total of 174 charging stations across Pennsylvania were deemed eligible for upgrades under the EVC-RAA initiative. All proposals must target one or more of these pre-identified sites. Further, contractors must comply with federal Davis-Bacon wage requirements. Informational materials were provided to applicants through public webinars held prior to each round, including sessions on June 11 and October 31, 2024. These webinars offered detailed guidance on program eligibility, technical requirements, and the proposal process. The online application was submitted through the PennDOT eGrants system. No pre-application or letter of intent was required, but applicants were encouraged to submit technical questions before posted deadlines—June 24, 2024, for Round 1 and November 8, 2024, for Round 1A. Key documentation including the Davis-Bacon wage update, a list of eligible charging sites, and responses to applicant questions were provided publicly during each funding round. Eligibility for this opportunity includes entities capable of repairing or replacing EV chargers at designated stations in Pennsylvania. While specific applicant types were not listed, participation was limited to those able to fulfill NEVI technical compliance standards and Davis-Bacon wage regulations. Applicants were advised to search for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP)-certified electricians as part of contractor qualification. Additional resources, such as the final list of eligible charging stations and official documents outlining key program considerations, were made available through the PennDOT and FHWA websites. Interested parties were encouraged to contact PennDOT’s NEVI team for guidance, although specific names or direct contact details were not published in the source material.