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- #70: Record Year for Charging Infrastructure
#70: Record Year for Charging Infrastructure
2026 outlook uncertain, Trump’s FY 2027 Budget Request
Steve Taylor
April 11, 2026
The Business and Policy of Charging Infrastructure
The 3 big stories
Ohm Analytics report shows record charging installations and cautious 2026 outlook
Trump releases his FY 2027 budget blueprint
Plus, featured jobs and news.
Enjoy,
Steve
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Industry News
Charging infrastructure had a record year in 2025, according to Ohm Analytics’ newly released Q4 2025 EV Charging Market Report, but the data underneath the headline is more complicated. DC fast charging installations hit 23,000 ports in 2025, up 46% over 2024, while AC charging added more than 113,000 ports, up 10%. However, the momentum is already softening. Early 2026 numbers show project activity down 15% year over year through February, even as total port counts are up 14%, highlighting a shift toward larger yet fewer deployments.
The divergence between recent charging data and EV sales is also significant. US EV sales fell 38% in Q4 2025 following the end of the federal tax credit, and sales continued to drop in Q1 2026 with sales down 27% year over year to 216,399 units, according to Cox Automotive. EV market share held at 5.8% of new vehicle sales in Q1, below the 10.6% peak reached in Q3 2025. Charging deployments held up comparatively well, declining just 8% in Q4, suggesting infrastructure investment is running on a longer horizon than vehicle sales cycles.
Steve's take
The most important data point in this report isn't the record port count, but the port-to-project ratio. Fewer projects and more ports per site. This tells me the market is maturing, moving from volume to scale.
The 38% Q4 EV sales drop mentioned in the report is concerning from a charging infrastructure perspective until you remember that charging infrastructure is a 10-year investment, not a quarterly bet. Operators building large-port sites today aren’t underwriting Q4 2025 demand.
The end of the federal incentive created a demand air pocket, but not a structural shift. More affordable vehicles, expanding used EV inventory, and gas price volatility are keeping EV buyers engaged, and Cox Automotive's Q1 numbers suggest the worst is behind us. As Cox's Director of Insights Stephanie Valdez Streaty says, “The [U.S. EV growth] timeline has shifted, but the direction hasn’t.”
What that data also shows is consolidation. One in three EVs sold in Q1 was a Tesla Model Y. That market concentration doesn't just reflect consumer preference; it shapes where charging investment flows next.
Power and Policy
On Friday, April 3, the White House released President Donald Trump's 2027 budget proposal for the next federal fiscal year that begins on October 1, 2026. The budget request continues to signal the Administration’s clear desire to pivot away from clean energy deployment toward core infrastructure, domestic production, and fiscal restraint (at least non-defense related!). The Administration frames the budget as a shift from energy transition acceleration to energy security and affordability. Here’s a look at some of the key agency programs at DOE and DOT you may care about the most:
FY26 vs. FY27 Budget Comparison
Department of Energy (DOE)
Program / Office | FY 2026 Enacted ($B) | FY 2027 Request ($B) | % Change | Direction |
Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) | ~4.0 | ~2.5–2.8 | ▼ 30–40% | Major cuts |
Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations | ~1.5 | ~0.8–1.0 | ▼ 30–45% | Scaled back |
Loan Programs Office (credit subsidy) | ~0.3 | ~0.1 | ▼ 60% | Sharp reduction |
Office of Science | ~8.2 | ~8.0 | ▼ 2% | Mostly flat |
Nuclear Energy | ~1.7 | ~1.9 | ▲ 10% | Increased |
Fossil Energy & Carbon Management | ~0.9 | ~1.1 | ▲ 15–20% | Increased |
Grid Deployment Office | ~1.2 | ~0.7–0.9 | ▼ 25–40% | Reduced |
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Program / Office | FY 2026 Enacted ($B) | FY 2027 Request ($B) | % Change | Direction |
Federal-Aid Highways (Formula) | ~60 | ~60 | — | Flat |
Transit Capital Investment Grants (CIG) | ~3.0 | ~2.0 | ▼ 30% | Reduced |
EV Charging (NEVI + Discretionary) | ~2.5 | ~1.0–1.5 | ▼ 40–60% | Major cuts |
INFRA / Freight Grants | ~1.0 | ~0.8 | ▼ 20% | Reduced |
Low/No Emission Bus Program | ~1.6 | ~0.8 | ▼ 50% | Major cuts |
Rob’s take
First off, it is critical to remember that, ultimately, Congress has the power of the purse and is free to accept all, some or none of a president's budget request. These numbers are historically far from what Congress authorizes and appropriates in the end.
The release of the President’s budget request does formally kick off the annual budget and appropriations season in Congress. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget on April 15, 2026, and Senate Committee on the Budget on April 16, 2026, in support of the request. Individual cabinet secretaries will also testify before the Senate and House congressional committees over the coming weeks. Afterwards, the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations will begin to mark up the 12 individual FY 2027 appropriations bills with the ambitious goal of enacting the legislation prior to September 30, 2026.
With it being an election year for many members of Congress, my prediction is that the deadline is likely to be missed and we will be in a continuing resolution/lame duck period come the Fall. That said, the time for advocating for your 2027 budget and appropriations priorities is upon us!
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⚡️Steve and Rob
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