The DOE–DOT Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced a $51-million Ride and Drive Electric funding opportunity through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to accelerate the electrification of the nation’s transportation sector and spur private sector investments in clean transportation.

The administration also today announced the launch of the National Charging Experience Consortium to advance rapid, on-the-ground solutions that ensure a convenient, reliable, equitable, and easy-to-use charging experience for all Americans with chargers that are made in the US.

The Joint Office will administer the Ride and Drive Electric program and has funded DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory to lead the National Charging Experience Consortium. Managed by the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Transportation (DOT), the Joint Office was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build a national electric vehicle charging network that will spark public confidence in EV adoption and fill charging gaps in rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach locations.

The Ride and Drive Electric funding opportunity is intended to support theadoption of EVs by:

• Enhancing EV charging resilience

• Providing equitable access and opportunity in electrification through community-driven models for EV charging deployment and workforce development

• Improving EV charging performance and reliability

This funding will help to increase reliability of chargers by providing funding for validating and testing charging equipment; advance new business models for electrified shared mobility and fleet-based services; and increase opportunities for underserved communities through new jobs and training resources, among others. All applicants must outline the benefits that will be delivered to disadvantaged communities through the Ride and Drive Electric funding opportunity.

The submission deadline for concept papers is 16 June 2023. Only applicants who have submitted an eligible concept paper will be eligible to submit a full application. The submission deadline for full applications is 28 July 2023.

The National Charging Experience Consortium (ChargeX). Led by DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the ChargeX Consortium will rapidly develop solutions that ensure an easy and reliable charging experience for all Americans.

The objective of ChargeX is to help the EV industry achieve first-time plug-in success every time a customer uses public charging infrastructure. ChargeX will collaborate with organizations representing a cross-section of the EV charging industry on usability and accessibility issues that require multi-stakeholder collaboration to address.

The Consortium already has commitments from nearly 30 companies and organizations that are working to support the deployment of a reliable national charging network. The ChargeX Consortium complements the foundation for charging reliability established by the minimum standards for Federal Highway Administration Title 23 funded EV charging infrastructure projects and complements the Ride and Drive Electric funding opportunity.