Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionProposed projects intended primarily for medium and/or heavy-duty vehicle charging are eligible to apply for funding, but light-duty vehicle charging must be available to the public 24/7 and offer a minimum of 4 CCS charging plugs.
Electric utilities, like most organizations, are eligible to apply for NEVI funds if they are proposing to install and operate a NEVI eligible public charging station.
When an electric utility is not the direct recipient of NEVI funds any utility interconnection costs billed to the NEVI recipient may be eligible for reimbursement, in accordance with the requirements established in federal guidance and PennDOT’s Notice of Funding Opportunity. Utility interconnection costs not billed to the NEVI recipient are not eligible for reimbursement.
If an electric utility plans to support the installation of a NEVI project application by using a utility program to reduce the applicant’s utility upgrade costs, then the applicant will be able to request fewer NEVI funds from PennDOT which improves the competitiveness of their project.
Yes. Costs to acquire and install on-site electric service equipment (e.g., power meter, transformer, switch gear) are eligible. Costs for minor grid upgrades are also eligible, provided the work is necessitated solely by the construction or upgrading of the EV charging station and participation in the upgrade does not exceed the allocable cost of the minimum upgrades needed to match the planned power requirements of the EV charging station. A minor grid upgrade is defined as the work necessary to connect a charging station to the electric grid distribution network; for example, extending power lines or upgrading existing power lines several miles. Finally, major grid upgrades, such as longer line extensions or upgrades, improvements to offsite power generation, bulk power transmission, or substations are ineligible.
Note that project scoring considers the total NEVI funding requested. Therefore, we encourage project sponsor and utilities to consider the magnitude of these costs and explore whether they could be covered by the electric utility or programs other than the NEVI Formula Program so as to minimize use of NEVI Formula funds for grid upgrades where possible.
Yes. Costs to acquire and install on-site electric service equipment (e.g., power meter, transformer, switch gear) are eligible. However, we encourage project sponsor and utilities to consider the magnitude of these costs and explore whether they could be covered by electric utilities or other programs rather than the NEVI Formula Program.
The PennDOT Inspector-in-Charge will review if all physical work items have been completed satisfactorily to ensure compliance with the contract. This is to be documented in the CS-4137 form noted in the sample agreement as part of the NOFO. If items require completion or correction PennDOT Form CS-4136, Punchlist Form, shall be used for this purpose to document outstanding items.
As outlined in the Sample agreement, the Grantee (Company Official and Superintendent) and PennDOT (Inspector-in Charge and Strategic Development and Implementation Office Official or designee) shall attend the final inspection. PennDOT, or its representative, shall complete PennDOT Form CS-4137, Final Inspection Form, to document the final inspection and to track the progress made toward Project acceptance following the final inspection. Note that this information and process is subject to change based on FHWA’s final rulemaking.
Yes, as long as the utility upgrade/interconnection costs are eligible costs and directly related to the EV charging station all electric utility interconnection costs billed to the customer can be eligible for reimbursement.
The electric utility provider for the project site is considered a project partner for all applications, as evidenced by the required utility form in Appendix VIII. The electric utility provider should be listed in the answer to the “project team” application question, which is 1.1 part A.
The entity that will own or lease and be primarily responsible for operating the charging station must be the one that applies for NEVI funds. This entity may be the property owner if they plan to manage the charging station, or it may be an entity that obtains a site-host agreement from the property owner so they can operate the station on another entity’s property. All organizations that will be involved in the project should be listed in the project team.
PennDOT recognizes that there is not currently equipment available to test all aspects of DC fast charging station operations. PennDOT will coordinate with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Weights and Measures unit to implement DC fast charging station testing when equipment is available. PennDOT will also work with NEVI recipients as they seek to comply with the new testing equipment, noting that the equipment was not available when the station was purchased and installed.
Current Federal Highway Administration guidance states that workforce development activities "directly related to the charging of an EV" are eligible costs. NEVI applicants are welcome to propose workforce development costs that appear to meet this definition as part of their projects. PennDOT may then need to confer with the FHWA before finalizing an awarded project's grant agreement to confirm that the proposed workforce development cost will be eligible for reimbursement.
Yes, PennDOT's current understanding is that canopies are eligible costs so long as the primary purpose and function of the canopy is related to the charging station.
Only the UEI level is required to apply for NEVI funds from PennDOT. If an organization intends to separately apply directly to the federal government for federal funds (not through another entity, such as a state) they may wish to register for the “All Awards” level.
Applicants are required to propose a specific site location and address when applying to the PennDOT Round 1 NEVI program. Please see the FAQ related to determining uility interconnection costs when not available from the utility for more information on estimating utility costs.
Yes, question 8.1 of the application allows applicants to upload answers to previous essay questions longer than the 3,000 character limit, and any other document they may wish to upload. Only documents pertaining to one or more specific application questions will be evaluated as part of the scoring and selection process.
No, to invoice for eligible costs NEVI Grantees are required to provide proof of costs incurred and proof of payment.
Section 28 of the sample Grant Agreement allows for assignment of contract rights and duties, in whole or in part, with PennDOT's written consent. PennDOT will review the appropriate assignment contracts and related documents prior to approval to ensure that all of the rights and duties in the Grant Agreement will be maintained.
No, Conditional Awardees will not be allowed to negotiate grant contract terms. If a Conditional Awardee is not willing to sign the grant agreement then PennDOT may rescind the project selection and consider awarding the funds to a different project. Potential applicants are allowed to submit comments regarding PennDOT's draft grant agreement for PennDOT's consideration.
Applicants are required to describe their proposed customer pricing structure as part of the application. If PennDOT has any concerns regarding the reasonableness of the proposed pricing structure they will be discussed during the post-selection period prior to executing a grant agreement. After receiving a grant agreement, PennDOT may reconsider the reasonableness of customer pricing if a Grantee's costs materially decrease or their pricing materially increases. Reasonableness determinations will begin with communication between the Grantee and PennDOT.
PennDOT is not requiring a specific number of ADA accessible EV charging parking spaces beyond existing federal guidance. Note that when Federal-aid highway program funds are used for parking facilities, or other projects where pedestrians are expected, the project must meet the current accessibility standards, whether or not the project is within the public right-of-way. Guidelines developed by the U.S. Access Board are considered the best practices for providing accessible EV charging stations. See EV Charging Stations Guidance (access-board.gov).
Utility forms submitted to the appropriate utility by the date recommended in the Notice of Funding Opportunity should be returned to the applicant prior to the Round 1 NEVI application due date, so they may be included with the application. Applicants are to use information provided on the form as well as additional information or methods to reasonably estimate utility upgrade/interconnection costs for inclusion in their project budget.
If an applicant’s utility form is not returned to them prior to the application due date the applicant may upload documentation showing the date the form was submitted to the utility, in lieu of the utility form. The completed form should then be forwarded to PennDOT’s EV team at ra-pdevcorridors@pa.gov as soon as it is available. Note that utility coordination is to be described in application question 3.1 and will be considered as part of the scoring and selection process.
Applicants may propose Candidate Sites that already have some site preparations completed, or existing stations that require upgrades to meet the NEVI plug count and power requirements. Please note that any project costs incurred before Grant Agreement Execution are not eligible for reimbursement and some other funding sources are not eligible to use as match for NEVI funds. They include all other federal funds, Appendix D funds (Driving PA Forward programs), and DEP Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant funds.
From the How to Get Ready webpage please open the “Pennsylvania Utility Coordination Contacts” document. Contact PennDOT's EV Team at ra-pdevcorridors@pa.gov if the Candidate Site electric utility is not in the document.
To answer "yes" for question 2.5f an Applicant must plan to have on-site 24/7 staffing that will support the charging station, such as charger monitoring and performing basic maintenance, as part of their duties. Such staff may perform other duties as well. This is an optional amenity that will be considered as part of project scoring and selection.
PennDOT is not requiring any ADA accessibility requirements beyond those required by federal guidance. For more information on federal requirements related to ADA path of travel please see the Access Board website at https://www.access-board.gov/ada/guides/chapter-4-accessible-routes/. Please also note that ADA accessibility to on-site and nearby amenities will impact project scoring and competitiveness through the evaluation of questions 2.5 and 5.5. See https://www.access-board.gov/tad/ev/ for the Access Board's Design Recommendations for Accessible Electric Vehicle Charging Stations for additional accessibility recommendations.
Application question 1.1b asks Applicants to list prior EV installations completed by one or more members of the project team. Pennsylvania installations should be listed first followed by other US installations. If the Applicant is unable to list 10 US installations from their collective team members then they may list installations from outside of the US. PennDOT will consider the charging station locations in assessing the relevant experience of the project team.
PennDOT is not requesting references as part of the Round 1 NEVI application. Only information relevant to an application question will be considered as part of the scoring and selection process.