Partial GATA Exempt. Exempt if award goes to LPA.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), allocates $7.5 billion for programs that will advance electric vehicle (EV) adoption nationwide. Among these investments is the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program that provides dedicated funding to states to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure and establish an interconnected network that facilitates data collection, access, and reliability. Ten percent of the NEVI Formula Program is set-aside for grants that reflect the need to make the EV charging network more reliable including the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (RAA) Program. The goal of the RAA program is to repair or replace EV chargers that were non-operational as of October 12, 2023. The non-operational EV chargers were identified as unavailable in the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Database Center’s (AFDC) Alternative Fueling Station Locator. The RAA Program will advance Illinois’ goal of one million EVs on the road by 2030 and will provide the necessary infrastructure to support rising EV sales. In September 2023, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a call for projects through the RAA program. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) applied for RAA funding in November 2023 to repair or replace EV chargers at 76 sites (identified in Section 4.3) that were non-operational as of October 12, 2023. In January 2024, IDOT was awarded $7.1 million in RAA funds from FHWA to repair or replace 76 EV chargers.

Pub. L. 117–58, title VIII of division J

n/a

n/a

The goal is to repair or replace EV chargers at up to 76 sites that were that were non-operational as of October 12, 2023. RAA funds up to 80% of construction and maintenance costs.

Yes

n/a

Government Organizations; For-Profit Organizations;

In general, potential applicants are eligible under this NOFO if they meet the following requirements: • Agree to conform to 23 CFR 680 (NEVI Standards and Requirements); • Agree to the terms and conditions set forth by IDOT; • Be the deed holder of the property OR submit a signed letter form the site host of the proposed site which indicates they will allow applicant to construct, operate and maintain and EV charger at the site hosts property for a minimum of five years from commencement of operations; • Be registered and pre-qualified through the GATA Grantee Portal. Local Public Agencies (LPA) are exempt from GATA registration and pre-qualification requirements per PA 102-1092. GATA Requirements. All applicants (except for LPAs) may not apply for a grant until the applicant has registered and is pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, www.grants.illinois.gov/portal. Registration and pre-qualification are required annually. During pre-qualification, verifications are performed including a check of federal SAM.gov Exclusion List and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List. The Grantee Portal alerts the entity of “qualified” status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., inactive DUNS, not in good standing with the Secretary of State). Inclusion on the SAM.gov Exclusion List cannot be remediated. Local Public Agencies are required to have a UEI number and must submit the IDOT Subrecipient Risk Assessment. Teaming Requirements. Teaming partnerships are permitted; however, the application should be submitted by the primary applicant who will be responsible to IDOT for the full performance of the grant agreement. Additionally, public sector entities may not own the charging station but may agree to be site hosts as part of the project team. There are 76 sites that are eligible for RAA funding. These sites were identified on FHWA’s list of unavailable EV chargers as of October 12, 2023. RAA funds can only be used at these locations. Please note that project selection is at the sole discretion of IDOT. The sites consist of DCFC or Level 2 EV charging stations. Charging stations using RAA funds must be compliant with 23 CFR 680. More details on charging station eligibilities are in Appendix A of the NOFO. The goal of RAA is to replace as many EV chargers as possible with the available RAA funding. Site hosts could potentially upgrade Level 2 chargers to Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFC), however, due to limited funding, the priority will be to replace EV chargers with the same type (i.e. Level 2 with Level 2). If funding is available, IDOT will consider upgrading EV chargers contingent on grid upgrades required. DCFCs within one mile of an AFC exit must adhere to the more stringent charging station requirements. Eligible chargers can be found at: https://idot.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idot/documents/transportation-system/planning/drive-electric/EV%20Network.pdf

n/a

Project Grants

Government Services

n/a

Applicants should coordinate with the relevant electric utility to complete the Utility Form, which should be submitted as part of the application package.

Applicants can download the application package, which includes all required submission materials, through the Illinois Drive Electric Website (https://idot.illinois.gov/transportation-system/environment/drive-electric.html).

Application scoring criteria, focuses on: Project Budget; Project Team Qualifications, Experience, and Project Location. The RAA program is unique since the eligible sites have been identified. Due to the limited amount of funding available, the priority is to repair/replace EV chargers with similar chargers and to bring each site to NEVI compliance (i.e. at least four charging ports at each site) or to upgrade EV chargers within one mile of an AFC exit to NEVI compliance. The goal of RAA is to replace as many EV chargers as possible with the available RAA funding. If funding is available, IDOT will consider upgrading EV chargers (i.e. Level 2 to DCFC) contingent on grid upgrades required.

n/a

Preliminary applications are due July 8, 2025 at 4 PM CDT; Final applications are due August 7, 2025 at 4 PM CDT. Preliminary application submittal is required to submit final application.

n/a

n/a

n/a

Illinois RAA Program funds are federal funds. Applicants may apply for up to 80 percent federal cost share of the eligible costs, with a minimum required match of 20 percent from non-federal sources.

Illinois RAA Program funds are restricted to projects that are directly related to publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure. As such, the following items are eligible for reimbursement: • Costs of minor grid updates (work necessary to connect a charging station to the electric grid distribution network like extending power lines or upgrading existing power lines); • Costs to procure and repair or replace existing EV charging equipment to meet NEVI minimum standards and requirements (23 CFR 680); • Costs to increase number of ports at site to four total ports (if site has less than four ports now) or to increase number of ports to match what is at the site now (if there are more than four ports currently); • Costs to procure and install EVSE-related hardware and software; • Costs associated with required annual/quarterly data reporting; • Fixed operating and maintenance costs (up to five years after the charging station is commissioned) including: o Charging equipment lease fees (if site applicant chooses lease option for charging equipment rather than purchase option). The lease costs are only eligible if paid in advance through a contract. o Cellular network fees, internet service fees, or similar fees. o Charger network fee. • Costs of engineering, design and permitting; and • Costs for adapters to accommodate non-CCS charging (including NACs) will be limited to a reimbursement of $300 per port for the adapter hardware; Applicants should note that IDOT will not reimburse costs incurred prior to the execution of a grant agreement between the grantee and IDOT. Ineligible costs are expenses deemed to be ineligible by NEVI Final Rule (23 CFR 680) as well as other applicable federal, state, and local laws. Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to: • Costs incurred prior to a fully executed grant agreement with IDOT; • Costs not related directly to vehicle charging; • Costs for lobbying, or for the intervention in state, federal regulatory, or adjudicatory proceedings; • Costs for construction or general maintenance of building and parking facilities (if not related directly to vehicle charging); • Costs of major grid upgrades, such as longer line extensions or upgrades, improvements to offsite power generation, bulk power transmission, or substations are ineligible; • Costs for DCFC ports within one mile of AFC that do not meet the charging requirements listed in 23 CFR 680; • Utility service upgrade costs covered by the utility; • Costs covered by programs or tariff rules of the electric utilities; • Costs to replace EV chargers that were under warranty as of October 12, 2023 or EV chargers that will not be accessible by the public; • Costs for research projects; and • Administrative costs, including overhead and indirect costs (e.g., office supplies, rent, marketing, and advertising).

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

https://idot.illinois.gov/transportation-system/environment/drive-electric/reliability-and-accessibility-accelerator--raa--program.html

n/a

n/a

5/7/2025

FY 2025 : $7,100,000
FY 2026 : $7,100,000