Vermont says nine NEVI corridor sites contracted, but planners flag 134-port fast‑charging gap and $33.5M shortfall

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermont’s Agency of Transportation told the House Transportation Committee on Jan. 29 that it has nine National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) contracts in hand — including a pilot site in Bradford that opened April 24 — and has asked the Federal Highway Administration for flexibility in how remaining NEVI funds are spent.

“We are 1 of 4 states that we're able to obligate all of our NEVI funds so far,” Andrea Wright, environmental policy manager, said while summarizing the department’s budget and program work. Wright told members the agency has eight contracted projects from its first solicitation in addition to the Bradford pilot and expects the second solicitation to go out this spring.

Hilary Delrasch, sustainability and innovations project manager and the agency’s NEVI program manager, said the first round prioritized corridor coverage under earlier FHWA guidance — chargers roughly every 50 miles with a minimum of four ports per location capable of 150 kilowatts. “Our first NEVI‑compliant site in Bradford was completed April 24,” Delrasch said.

Delrasch said the agency sought and received FHWA certification that its corridor network is “fully built out” based on nine active contracts, which she said gives Vermont more discretion in the next solicitation to include community locations and mixed equipment configurations rather than forcing every site to meet the original corridor minimums.

The agency reviewed national and state data and ran EV charging‑need scenarios with DOE/AFDC tools. Using a pathway scenario that reaches 126,000 EVs by 2030, Delrasch said the state still would need 134 additional DC fast‑charging ports after accounting for contracted and planned public chargers. “That's a 33 and a half million dollar gap to meet that need,” Delrasch told the committee, citing the department's average per‑port cost estimate of roughly $250,000.

Delrasch and members discussed recurring procurement challenges: limited vendor bids in some locations (Derby and Springfield received no bids), contractors withdrawing from awards, and slow site‑host negotiations. Delrasch said those site‑host agreements and access to three‑phase power are frequent bottlenecks and that the agency will do targeted outreach with Drive Electric Vermont, regional planning commissions and municipal partners before the next RFP.

Contract terms require private vendors to own, operate and maintain sites for five years with minimum uptime and reporting obligations; the state retains a conditional assignment clause to avoid stranded assets if a vendor defaults.

Delrasch said the next solicitation will broaden how projects can be configured outside corridors — allowing some locations to propose combinations of fast chargers and level‑2 ports — and the agency plans to expand its pre‑qualified vendor list to bring more bidders on board.

The committee heard consumer‑experience concerns from members who had used the Bradford site, including a need for reliable credit‑card payment and better cell service and shade for app‑based QR scans; Delrasch said pricing and payment requirements are part of the contracts and will be monitored.