USDOT Allocates $410 Million for Heavy Freight Electric Truck Charging Corridors Across 15 Interstate Highways

WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Shailen Bhatt announced on Monday the distribution of $410 million in federal capital grants through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) discretionary grant program to construct fifty heavy-duty commercial freight Megawatt Charging System (MCS) travel plazas across fifteen major interstate highway corridors.

The high-capacity charging hubs, located along high-density freight arteries including Interstate 10, Interstate 80, Interstate 95, and Interstate 5, will feature 1.2-megawatt charging dispensers capable of recharging a fully loaded 80,000-pound commercial electric tractor-trailer from 20 percent to 80 percent in under 30 minutes during mandatory driver rest breaks.

Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition for Long-Haul Logistics Heavy commercial trucks consume over 30 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually, where lack of standardized high-power highway charging infrastructure previously restricted commercial electric truck deployment to short-distance urban drayage routes.

"Commercial trucking is the lifeblood of the American economy, moving over 70 percent of our nation's freight," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in Washington. "By investing $410 million in megawatt-scale charging plazas along our critical interstate corridors, we are giving commercial fleet operators the infrastructure confidence they need to transition to zero-emission electric trucks, cutting fuel costs, and cleaning the air along our highway communities."

Charging Plaza Features and Grid Interconnections The $410 million investment finances:

• 50 Dedicated Heavy-Duty Freight Charging Depots: Each equipped with a minimum of eight 1.2-MW dispensers, pull-through commercial lanes, and driver rest lounges.
• On-Site Stationary Battery Energy Buffers: 5-MWh battery systems at each depot to prevent local electrical grid strain during simultaneous high-power truck charging.
• Standardized Open-Access MCS Plugs: Enforcing non-proprietary SAE J3271 charging connectors accessible to all commercial vehicle manufacturers.

Trucking fleet executives, electric utility leaders, and labor unions commended the federal awards, emphasizing that megawatt highway charging unlocks long-haul electric freight shipping.