BETHLEHEM, PA — Pennsylvania opened a $32 million federal funding round Sept. 17 for public electric-vehicle charging projects across 18 eastern counties, extending the state’s NEVI infrastructure program beyond highway corridors and into community locations as its federally funded network reached 50 operating stations.
The funding is part of the Community Charging phase of the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. Applications for the eastern Pennsylvania round are due March 12, 2027.
PennDOT is directing more than $100 million in federal funding across four regional Community Charging rounds. That comes in addition to about $58 million invested through the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridor and Corridor Connections initiatives.
The eastern region includes Adams, Berks, Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Wayne and York counties.
Local transportation planning agencies have identified areas within those counties for investment priority, though publicly accessible locations throughout the region are eligible to apply.
The latest funding round comes as Pennsylvania expands its existing NEVI network. The state’s 50th federally funded charging station opened last week at a Sheetz on Linglestown Road in Harrisburg, according to PennDOT, with another 38 stations in various stages of planning and construction.
Pennsylvania’s first NEVI-funded station opened in December 2023. Since then, stations supported by the program have recorded more than 146,000 charging sessions representing an estimated 17.3 million miles of driving, according to PennDOT. The agency estimates those sessions reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3,700 metric tons.
“Charger accessibility is the most critical element of EV adoption,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. The eastern funding round means Community Charging money has now been opened to projects in every region of Pennsylvania.
PennDOT’s Community Charging program shifts part of the federal investment toward destinations outside the highway-focused network, including locations where drivers shop, work, and spend recreational time.
“What we heard is that convenience and accessibility really matter,” Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley said. “People want charging where they’re already going — where they shop, work and recreate.”
PennDOT received federal certification in September 2025 that Pennsylvania’s Alternative Fuel Corridor network was fully built out, allowing the state to use NEVI formula funding for charging infrastructure along any public road or at other publicly accessible locations. Pennsylvania is allocated $171.5 million over the five-year federal NEVI program.
The eastern round was the fourth Community Charging opportunity opened by PennDOT in 2026, following funding rounds for southeastern, western, and central Pennsylvania.
Organizations registered to do business in Pennsylvania and eligible to receive state and federal funding may apply. PennDOT’s program information and application resources are available at www.pa.gov/evcommunity.
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