Electric Vehicle Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program in Oregon

Latest updates - December 2024

We've selected the “intent to award" finalists for the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (EVC RAA) program:

EVCS
OpConnect, Inc.
Electrify America

We expect to sign grant agreements with each company in early 2025. See the “Details about EVC RAA Projects" section below for more information.
We’re planning a modified, second grant funding opportunity for the program in 2025, pending approval from the Federal Highway Administration.

How to apply for EVC RAA funding (December 2024)

Applications for EVC RAA Round 1 funding closed on November 22nd, 2024. We’re planning a modified, second grant funding opportunity for the program in 2025, pending approval from the Federal Highway Administration.

Details about EVC RAA Projects

In December 2025, we selected 3 entities as finalists for EVC RAA. Below is a breakdown of the proposed stations for each applicant. Below is a breakdown of the proposed stations for each awardee.

EVCS

1499 NE 15th St, Lincoln City: Eight DC fast charging ports (four funded by the grant program) and Battery Energy Storage.
1310 Locust St., Arlington: Eight DC fast charging ports (four funded by the grant program) and Battery Energy Storage.

OpConnect, Inc.

1100 Airport Road, Salem: Four DC fast charging ports.
3640 Northeast Martin Luther King Junior Blvd., Portland: Four Level 2 charging ports.

Electrify America

400 4th St, Lake Oswego: Four DC fast charging ports.
3805 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland: Four DC fast charging ports.

Note: As of December 2024, the selected applicants are “intent to award" finalists, meaning ODOT still needs to negotiate and sign grant agreements with each company. We expect that process to wrap up in early 2025.

Program overview

The federal Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program is sending $10 million to Oregon in 2024 for public EV charging port repairs and station upgrades.

The $10 million grant will repair broken EV charging ports at public EV charging stations throughout the state. The funding can also be used to install more Level 2 or DC fast charging ports at project sites.

The ODOT Climate Office will oversee the grant fund distribution in Oregon. Private companies who own and operate the EV charging stations will be responsible for the port repairs and station upgrades. They’re also required to contribute 20% matching funds to be eligible for the program.

The EVC RAA program is part of the $5 billion investment in public EV charging nationwide from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. ODOT is one of 14 state DOTs to receive funding.

EV charging stations included in the program

In October 2023, the Federal Highway Administration identified 135 public EV charging stations in Oregon that have at least one broken EV charging port — either Level 2 or DC fast chargers — that were initially eligible for repairs or upgrades using program grant funds. From these initial eligible chargers, there are further eligibility requirements that must be met.

View a map of the eligible stations below.

Note: This map is not the final list of charging stations that will receive funds for repairs or upgrades. It's the pool of potential stations from which the final station will be selected. We do not expect all 135 stations will be included in the final selection. Final stations must meet additional federal requirements and have agreements in place with the station owners and site hosts.

Program details

Requirements for repairing or upgrading charging stations

Charging stations must meet all requirements outlined in Title 23 Federal Code of Regulations 680. High-level requirements include:

At least 4 charging ports per station.
97% average uptime (i.e. working.)
Standardized payment methods.
Real-time information on location, pricing, and availability.
Accessible to people of all abilities.
Benefits disadvantaged communities following federal Justice40 rules.

Past Updates

November 2024: We updated the EVC RAA Frequently Asked Questions on November 4, 2024. Applications for EVC RAA funding closed on November 22nd, 2024.
October 2024: We released the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the EVC RAA program on October 8, 2024. We held an information webinar for eligible applicants on October 11, 2024. The recording of the presentation is available in the "Archived Resources" section below.
July 2024: We held an information webinar for EV charging companies on July 24, 2024. The archived recording of the presentation is available in the "Archived Resources" section below.

Archived Resources

ODOT Applicant Webinar

ODOT Pre-Application Webinar
Pre-application comments submitted to ODOT as of August 1, 2024: EVgo Comment; Kunert Electric Comment.
$10 million grant to repair and upgrade public EV chargers coming to Oregon (Feb. 15, 2024)

Archived application instructions

Step 1: Check your eligibility

Only eligible applicants may apply for this notice of funding opportunity. Eligible applicants are limited to:

Equipment and/or Charging Network Providers for eligible charging stations.
EV Service Providers that own and operate eligible charging stations.
Pre-qualified applicants who were selected through ODOT’s competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for ZEV charging and fueling infrastructure and are on the Pre-qualified Applicant list.
Electric utility service providers to eligible charging stations.
Public entities with eligible charging stations located on their property.

Step 2: Download and review program documents

We encourage applicants to review all attachments and reference documents prior to submitting their applications.

Program Documents:

Step 3: Start your Technical Application in Cognito

Fill out applicant profile information to start the Technical Application via the EVC RAA Cognito Application Portal. You will receive a link to your application at the email address provided.

Step 4: Register for a Unique Entity Identifier

A UEI is required to receive federal funds and issued by Federal Contracting Services. If you do not already have a UEI, please follow the steps to start your System for Award Management (SAM) registration at the link above.

Step 5: Finalize your application

Complete all required sections in the Technical Application via the EVC RAA Cognito Portal. Applicants will only submit ONE application – including as many proposed sites as desired in the one application. Applicants are required to include the following forms in their applications:

Attachment 1 – Technical Specifications and Requirements for Operation
Attachment 2 – Scope of Work and Deliverables
Attachment 3 – Cost Proposal Form
Attachment 5 – Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Form 1273
Attachment 6 – Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form
Attachment 10 – ODOT Affidavit of Non-Collusion
Signed Utility Letter OR .pdf of Utility Email
A Signed Site Host Agreement OR a Letter from the Site Host

Step 6: Submit your application

Once all sections of the Technical Application are completed, click the “Submit” button in your EVC RAA Cognito Portal. All submissions are final.

Application deadline: 5 p.m. PST Nov. 22, 2024

Next Steps

We intend to make conditional awards by the end of 2024. We’ll notify successful applicants by email, and post news of the conditional awards to this webpage.

Resources

Archived Information for Eligible Applicants

Information for eligible applicants

Eligible applicants include:

Equipment and/or Charging Network Providers for eligible charging stations.
EV Service Providers that own and operate eligible charging stations.
Pre-qualified applicants who were selected through ODOT’s competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for ZEV charging and fueling infrastructure and are on the Pre-qualified Applicant list.
Electric utility service providers to eligible charging stations.
Public entities with eligible charging stations located on their property.

ODOT plans to prioritize charging stations located within Disadvantaged Communities as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. ODOT also plans to prioritize projects that include repair, replacement, or upgrade of DCFC ports. Projects that can potentially include DCFC ports are:

Charging stations with existing DCFC ports.
Charging stations with existing Level 2 ports located on and designed to serve users of designated Alternative Fuels Corridors (AFC), as required under 23 CFR 680.

This Excel document

ODOT EVC RAA Initially Eligible Site List.xlsx includes the list of initially eligible charging stations with additional data from ODOT's preliminary research. However, this additional data is preliminary, and applicants must verify the data and compliance with program requirements themselves.

Note: Charging stations that have been repaired (since FHWA published the list of eligible sites in October 2023) but have not been upgraded to meet Title 23 CFR 680 standards, including the requirement for four ports at each station, are eligible for upgrade using EVC RAA funding, per FHWA.

FHWA-approved EV Alternative Fuel Corridors in Oregon

Interstates 5, 84, 205, 405 and 82.
US Highways 97, 101, 20, 26, 95 and OR Highway 42.

Public Improvement Projects
Certain Charging Stations will be considered Public Improvement Projects based on their location on Public Property. Several public entities have expressed that they are interested in having eligible applicants apply on their behalf for EVC RAA funding. Please note that a grantee awarded a contract (grant agreement) for more than $50,000 that includes a charging station on Public Property must obtain a performance bond and a payment bond, each in an amount equal to or greater that the full contract price, per Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 279C.

Why we are investing in EV charger repairs and station upgrades

A reliable public charging experience is critical to speed EV adoption rates and foster confidence among EV drivers throughout Oregon. If more people can imagine an EV fitting into their daily lives, then they may consider an EV for their next vehicle purchase.

Helping spur the transition to EVs is one of the ways we’re working with other state agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Our data says that by 2050, we’ll reduce emissions by about 60%. Learn how we’ll get there on our transportation emissions webpage.

Program information: Stefenie Griggs

Media: Matt Noble 503-779-9868