Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI)
Press Release and Events
Check back for more information!
Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program NOW OPEN!
The Federal Highway Administration has opened the first round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI) for applications. You may find more details about this program at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/ or via New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) summary of the program at DOT.NM.GOV/CFI/.
A total of $700 million is available nationally for this first round of applications, half of which is for the Community Program and half for the Corridor Program. The deadline to apply for this program is June 13, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Please note that this federal program is separate from NMDOT’s previously announced Round 1 National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
If you would like to request NMDOT support for a regional CFI grant proposal please do so by emailing Special.Projects@dot.nm.gov April 30, 2023.
April Naranjo, Special Projects Division
505-629-6645
april.naranjo2@dot.nm.gov
- About the CFI Program
- Request for Letters of Interest Public EV Charging Stations and Infrastructure for Alternative Fuels
The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program) is a new competitive grant program created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work – urban and rural areas alike – in addition to along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). CFI Program investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles. This program provides two funding categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $2.5 billion over five (5) years for this program. This NOFO offers up to $700 million from Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities in publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods, particularly in underserved and disadvantaged communities.
The CFI Program was authorized to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors (AFC) or in certain other locations within communities that will be accessible to all drivers of electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, propane vehicles, and natural gas vehicles.
For more information regarding this grant opportunity, please visit: www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) is soliciting a Request for Letters of Interest (RLI) for consideration and support for regional Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant (CFI Program) applications as applicable under federal regulations. If you are interested in requesting NMDOT support for the regional CFI Program, please respond to this advertisement by emailing an RLI to the NMDOT – Special Projects Division at: Special.Projects@dot.nm.gov.
The CFI Program is a new competitive grant program created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work – urban and rural areas alike – in addition to along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). CFI Program investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles. This program provides two funding categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $2.5 billion over five (5) years for this program. This NOFO offers up to $700 million from Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities in publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods, particularly in underserved and disadvantaged communities. Please go to www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/ for more information.
RLIs shall be valid for sixty (60) days and are subject to all action by the NMDOT. NMDOT reserves the right to reject any or all RLIs in part or in whole. RLIs shall be submitted to the NMDOT Electronically via submittal to Special.Projects@dot.nm.gov. RLIs submitted by hard copy or facsimile will not be accepted.
Electronic RLIs must be submitted in PDF format no later than 5:00 P.M. (Mountain Daylight Time) on Friday, April 28, 2023.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT: All qualified interested parties will receive consideration of contract(s) without regard to race, color, religion, sex or national origin or other protected class. Proponents of this work shall be required to comply with the President’s Executive Order No. 11246 as amended.
If you have any questions, please email NMDOT at: Special.Projects@dot.nm.gov
ANY RLIs SUBMITTED AFTER THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED ABOVE WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Resources
EV Planning Dashboard!
Use this interactive map to locate current EV charging stations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Do you have a map of where charging stations are currently located in New Mexico and what charging station locations are planned in the future?
Answer: Regarding your quested about proposed EV charging stations, I wanted to inform you:
~ There is an updated NMDOT EV Planning Dashboard at https://nmdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ac19013bc5b44bc99d3a8f73e3c84019.
~ This was developed to pull info from National Renewable Energy Lab – Alternative Fuels Data Center.
Some notable updates:
- Live data that updates every 30 minutes.
- Stations not just in NM but within about 50 miles of our border to help with corridor planning.
- All the infographics and counters contain on NM data.
As EV charging stations are completed and operatable, they will be added to this dashboard. I hope this information is helpful.
Regarding proposed EV charging stations, there are plans for placement of EV charging stations approximately every 50 miles within the alternative fuel corridors, I-10, I-25 and I-40.
Question: Can you provide applicants with letters of support from NMDOT for the final applications?
Answer: Yes,
once we have confirmed recipient(s) award of funding, we will reach out to applicants and provide letters of support.
Question: Are private entities eligible?
Answer: No,
however eligible entities can contract with a private entity as required for the Corridor Program or as permitted by their Community Program. Private entity shall be responsible for the share of the project cost carried out with CFI Program funds that is not paid by the Federal Government.
Question: The NOFO and 23 CFR Part 680 refer to disadvantaged communities (DACs) as an important criteria in the CFI grant application. We are considering two (2) locations for our application: Downtown Alvarado Square and Route 66 Visitor Center. Downtown is a DAC but Route 66 Visitor Center is not. However, both locations are identified by the City’s Office of Equity and Inclusion as Vulnerable Communities. They also both score well using the EPA’s environmental justice tool for air quality and demographic impacts. Do you think the Route 66 Visitor Center is still a viable candidate in terms of Justice 40?
Answer: Justice 40 reserves 40% of the grant awards to historically underserved areas, so there is still potentially up to 60% of grant funds that’s not necessarily awarded with that focus.
That said, both your locations are within one (1) mile of a target route on the EV Charging Justice 40 map – targeted routes for this grant are shown in dotted lines:
https://anl.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=33f3e1fc30bf476099923224a1c1b3ee
In addition, while neither of those locations show up in orange on the US DOT’s Transportation Disadvantaged Census Tracts – orange meaning a census tract with four (4) or more Transportation Disadvantage – Alvarado Square is designated with three (3) Transportation Disadvantage indicators (below). It looks like it’s the same for the Route 66 Visitor Center location: https://usdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/d6f90dfcc8b44525b04c7ce748a3674a
But even without the census tract indicators, both locations would be very competitive for award based on their close proximity to a targeted corridor under the Justice 40 program.
If meeting the full match/cost share is the sticking point, it may be that you can draw on NM DOT for that.
Question: For a charging dispenser to count for the Corridor program, it would have to be able to dispense at 150kw (aka be NEVI compliant), is that correct?
Answer: Recipients of an award are required to comply with applicable sections of the EV Charging Minimum Standards (23 CFR Part 680).
eCFR : 23 CFR Part 680 — National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Standards and Requirements
Question: On the CFI Data Request form – It’s asking contracting with Private Entity Y/N - Just so I understand the question correctly, is it asking that are we a private entity or is it asking that are we contracting this project with a private entity?
Answer: This request is related to whether you already have private equity in mind that you will be contracting with to complete the work.