The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) have finalized Montana’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan (Plan) and are pleased to announce the plan has been submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval.

The draft plan was released for comment in June and the state agencies held a webinar in July to hear from the public. The final plan describes Montana’s strategy, vision and goals for spending Montana’s $43 million allocation of federal funds over the next five years under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula (NEVI) Program. The NEVI Program was established through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund direct-current electric vehicle charging infrastructure along interstate and U.S. highway corridors over the next five years. Montana was required to develop a plan and submit it to the FHWA by August 1, 2022.

The final plan includes an initial focus on filling large charging gaps along Interstate 15, Interstate 90 and Interstate 94 with electric vehicle charging infrastructure spaced no more than 100 miles apart and then focus on charging locations no more than 100 miles apart along U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 93.

In anticipation that the plan will be approved by FHWA by the end of September, MDT and DEQ will finalize the details of Montana’s administration of the funds in the months to come, with an expected funding opportunity opening this winter.

To view the final plan and more information about DEQ’s clean transportation work, visit DEQ’s website at: https://deq.mt.gov/energy/Programs/fuels.