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Michigan revives EV charger expansion after fed funding reversal

Michigan network of 5,455 publicly accessible chargers is steadily growing but remains far off state goals to install 100,000 chargers by 2030. Photo credit: Jonathan Oosting/Bridge Michigan.

by Isabella Figueroa Nogueira, Bridge Michigan

Michigan push to build a statewide electric vehicle charging network is moving forward again after a federal judge forced the Trump administration to release tens of millions in funding it had held back for more than a year.

Officials with the Michigan Department of Transportation say they plan to install 60 more EV charging stations along the state major travel routes over the next three years after the Trump administration last month released $51 million from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.

The state is still far behind its goal to install 100,000 chargers by 2030 in hopes of overcoming the “range anxiety” that prevents many drivers from making the gas-to-EV switch.

“There aren’t enough chargers,” said Betsie Crotty, who has been driving an EV for three years. “Even in Detroit and Chicago, I have to go to four or five parking garages to try and find a spot that has a charger.”

Experts say that, while every bit of new EV infrastructure helps lessen range anxiety, shifting federal policies and economic circumstances have created weaker consumer demand and concerns about charging and reliability for Michigan EV industry.

Still, said Glenn Stevens, the executive director for the statewide industry advocacy group , “I think we’ve come a long way, and I do think that, moving forward, we’re going to see far better reliability and far better dependability on the charging network than probably we have seen in the last few years.

Michigan charger funding whiplash

Money for the charger build-out comes from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, or NEVI, a $7.5 billion Biden-era push to install publicly accessible chargers along the nation major travel routes.

Michigan was promised $106 million, but had received only half of the money last year — enough for 83 charging stations — when Trump moved to block further NEVI spending shortly after taking office.

Court battles ensued and a federal judge ruled against the administration in January, forcing last month release of funds to Michigan and other states.

Michigan Department of Transportation officials told Bridge Michigan they aim to fund another 60 stations with the newly released money.

Those chargers will join a broader network of publicly accessible EV chargers in the state.

Divya Iyer, who manages MDOT charging infrastructure efforts, said the federally funded charging stations have cost an average of $750,000 apiece, with each site typically hosting multiple chargers.

State officials have estimated it will take 100,000 chargers to achieve Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ambitious goal of putting 2 million EVs on the road by 2030.

To achieve that goal, Michigan would need to add about 55 chargers daily between now and the end of 2030.

Headwinds remain

Money for chargers isn’t the only barrier to greater EV adoption, Stevens, of MichAuto, noted.

Many of the political and economic forces that once encouraged EVs have shifted since Trump took office and began reprioritizing gas vehicles.

At Trump urging, Congress last year ended tax credits that had reduced by thousands of dollars the end price of a new or used EV. The administration also that had put automakers on a timeline to make more fuel-efficient products.

Consumer demand for EVs has weakened and automakers have decreased their EV production ambitions, canceling or downsizing planned EV battery plants and instead refocusing on gas and hybrid vehicles.

As a result, Stevens said, the EV industry is “growing at a much slower pace in the United States.”

As of May 5, there were 103,826 EVs and 19,590 plug-in hybrids registered in the state. That a 21% and 8% increase, respectively, from June 2025, but still represents just a small fraction of Michigan 8.6 million registered passenger vehicles.

High purchase prices, battery repair concerns and range anxiety continue to influence buyers’ attitude about EVs, Stevens said. So long as those concerns persist, the EV transition will proceed more slowly in Michigan and across the country.

“Ultimately, the consumer drives this,” he said. “We know they want affordability.”

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.