The state is moving forward with its plans to place electric vehicle chargers along Indiana's interstates. The Indiana Department of Transportation paused the federally-funded program in February while awaiting new guidance from the Trump administration.
The goal of the program is to reduce the fear that EV travelers will run out of battery life before reaching a charging station. The Trump administration originally sought to rescind funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, but changed course after facing lawsuits.
Among other things, the new guidance no longer requires chargers to be placed every 50 miles and within one mile of an interchange or major corridor.
Natalie Garrett with INDOT said this will help get chargers installed more quickly — potentially in places with less access. She said locations may have to change if some of the 2024 awardees are no longer interested in hosting an EV charging station.
"I think overall, improved flexibility is a benefit. You know, our goal is still to maximize coverage, reliability and accessibility to EV charging across the state," she said.
Garrett said the process "streamlined and simplified" Indiana's plan. States also no longer have to address several things under the new guidance, including "consumer protections, emergency evacuation plans, environmental siting, resilience and terrain considerations."
David Konisky is a professor at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington. He said the new guidance is not ideal, but getting more chargers on the road is the most important thing at this early stage — and the gaps in coverage could be filled in later.
"Right now across the United States and here in Indiana, they're just not enough of these fast chargers — what were called 'level three chargers' — to really facilitate the driving of electric vehicles, especially on long trips," Konisky said.
The guidance was also stripped of references to diversity initiatives. Indiana is no longer required to engage with minority and women-owned businesses or make sure chargers benefit disadvantaged communities.
Jorden Giger is the assistant director of project outreach for the nonprofit Black Sun Light Sustainability.
"There's going to have to be intentional organizing, you know, on the part of organizations like ours, minority business associations to be able to connect diverse businesses to the opportunities," he said.
Giger said 10 percent of the NEVI funding is set aside for technical assistance for states. He said he would like to see Indiana use that funding to address concerns about the charging program that advocates have raised over the years.
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The new guidance also encourages the chargers to be located "at retail locations with onsite amenities that could provide safe locations and restrooms." The Federal Highway Administration doesn't spell out what it means by "safe locations."
Denise Abdul-Rahman is Black Sun Light Sustainability's CEO and founder. She is also the state chair for environmental climate justice for the NAACP of Indiana.
"So just wondering what that will mean to make sure that communities that aren't invested in — and may be considered unsafe areas — can still benefit from these economic investments and all of the benefits that come with that," Abdul-Rahman said.
People looking to charge their EVs may spend money food or shopping while they wait for a charge. Abdul-Rahman said having EV chargers could also reduce emissions in those communities.
Garrett said INDOT is still going to take the public feedback it received about the Charging the Crossroads program into account as it moves forward.
Black Sun Light Sustainability will hold an event to connect INDOT with diverse contractors on Friday, Dec. 12 at The Nest Event Center in Indianapolis from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or on Signal at IPBenvironment.01. Follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.
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