#48: States sue over NEVI funds

15 states sue the Trump Administration over frozen charging funds, ChargeScape partners with Leap on virtual power plant, and ChargePoint announces new charging architecture

Author

Steve Taylor
May 24, 2025

The Business and Policy of Charging Infrastructure

The 3 big stories:

  • Leap and ChargeScape partner on EV virtual power plant

  • A coalition of 17 states led by Washington, Colorado, and California sue the Trump Administration over frozen NEVI funds; GAO says Trump Administration violated the Impoundment Control Act in regards to NEVI funds

  • ChargePoint announces a “revolutionary” new AC charging architecture with V2X capabilities

Plus, featured jobs and news.

Enjoy,

–Steve

Current EVents

EV Industry Updates

Leap and ChargeScape have announced a strategic partnership aimed at creating the nation's largest electric vehicle virtual power plant (VPP), combining their complementary technologies to deliver critical grid capacity during peak demand periods.

The partnership merges Leap’s energy market automation platform with ChargeScape’s vehicle-grid integration tech connecting automakers like BMW, Ford, Honda, Nissan, and Tesla to grid operators.

Together, they’ll unlock new revenue streams through both V1G (smart charging) and V2G (power export), accelerating EV participation in grid services nationwide.

Following a California debut, the rollout will expand across the country improving grid resilience and putting cash back in drivers’ pockets.

Steve's Take

This partnership between Leap and ChargeScape reframes EVs from passive loads to active grid assets.

By tapping directly into automaker platforms, the collaboration is built to scale and comes at a critical moment, as summer peak demand looms and grid capacity is under pressure.

The model has many benefits: EV owners earn, utilities gain flexibility, and the grid gets more resilient. A virtuous cycle with broad benefits.

–Steve

Power and Policy

A coalition of 15 states led by Washington, Colorado, and California has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for withholding billions in EV charging infrastructure funds. Separately, the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) ruled this week that the Trump administration illegally withheld funds by suspending new obligations under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (“NEVI”) program.

The legal challenge by the states, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, claims federal agencies unlawfully froze $5B in NEVI program funds and halted approvals for new stations.

The GAO, which is a nonpartisan adviser to Congress, and whose decisions are not legally binding on the administration stated in its report that “[a]n appropriations act is a law like any other; therefore, unless Congress has enacted a law providing otherwise, the President must take care to ensure that appropriations are prudently obligated during their period of availability.  DOT is not authorized under the Impoundment Control Act to withhold these funds from expenditure.”

So far, 71 NEVI-funded stations have been built nationwide, with Atlas Public Policy data showing $521M awarded and $44M spent. 

California officials note they had relied on $384M from the federal program, with the state already building enough chargers to outnumber gas pumps statewide.

The White House budget proposal released last week explicitly stated plans to cancel funding for "failed electric-vehicle-charger grant programs," but the lawsuit argues this would require congressional approval.

Trump's January executive order initially targeted the program, followed by a February Transportation Department memo suspending state plan approvals. The suit asks the court to declare this memo unlawful and order the administration to release the funds.

Rob's Take:

This lawsuit and the GAO’s report present a major challenge to the administration's efforts to dismantle EV infrastructure funding. It sets up a critical test of executive power versus congressional appropriations authority that could have far-reaching implications.

The states' argument centers on a straightforward principle: Congress allocated these funds through bipartisan legislation, and the administration cannot unilaterally withhold money that was lawfully appropriated. This constitutional question goes to the heart of the separation of powers. The GAO report, which makes this exact argument, significantly bolsters the state's legal claims. 

For the EV charging industry, this legal battle could open up a window of hope for renewed access to these funds. However, the result of this lawsuit could take time to reach, and if successful, there are still questions as to how effective a partner the federal government will be.  The Trump Administration clearly intends to take the fight over the Impoundment Control Act all the way to the Supreme Court.

–Rob

Emerging EV Tech

ChargePoint has announced a “generational leap” in Level 2 AC charging, introducing full vehicle-to-everything (V2X) functionality and faster charging speeds (80 amps / 19.2 kW) cutting charge time to just four hours, nearly twice as fast as current standards.

A key feature is the platform’s series-wiring capability, allowing multiple chargers to share a circuit, which is ideal for fleets, apartments, and multi-EV homes, without costly electrical upgrades.

This new system builds on ChargePoint’s Omni Port technology, ensuring broad EV compatibility. Strategic partnerships with Tesla, Hyundai, GM, and others position it for wide adoption.

"ChargePoint's next generation of EV chargers will be revolutionary, not evolutionary," said Hossein Kazemi, Chief Technical Officer of Hardware at ChargePoint. "The architecture underpinning them enables highly anticipated technologies which will deliver a significantly better experience for station owners and the EV drivers who charge with them."

Steve's Take:

ChargePoint’s new architecture tackles significant barriers to mass EV adoption putting the company in a strong position in an increasingly competitive market.

Its V2X capabilities turn EVs into dynamic grid assets, unlocking new value streams like utility incentives and backup power that can offset ownership costs.

By enabling multi-vehicle charging without costly electrical upgrades, the system is a significant improvement for apartments, workplaces, and fleets.

While ultra-fast DC charging grabs headlines, Level 2 AC remains the workhorse of EV life powering daily charging where cars sit for hours.

–Steve 

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⚡️Steve and Rob

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