Industry Information

Projects implemented using NEVI Formula funds will be subject to federal highway construction contracting requirements, including permitting requirements and environmental review. Under 23 USC 109(s)(2), projects “shall be treated as if the project is located on a Federal-aid highway.” As such, NEVI Formula Program projects will be subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

According to 23 CFR 680.106 (a), “States or other direct recipients shall ensure public transparency for how the price will be determined and set for EV charging and make available for public review the following:

• Summary of the procurement process used;
• Number of bids received;
• Identification of the awardee;
• Proposed contract to be executed with the awardee;
• Financial summary of contract payments suitable for public disclosure including price and cost data, in accordance with State law; and
• Any information describing how prices for EV charging are to be set under the proposed contract, in accordance with State law.”

The State of South Carolina has the opportunity to build upon the requirements established in 23 CFR 680, National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Standards and Requirements. The state may set additional requirements in addition to those established in the federal NEVI Requirements or may establish a criteria system under which applicants can gain points in the review process.

These details will be outlined in a future request for proposals that will be released as part of the procurement process. Federal and State procurement requirements will apply.

The Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act, enacted as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021, established a domestic content procurement preference that requires agencies using Federal financial assistance for infrastructure projects to procure only American-made (produced in the United States) iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials for these projects. NEVI Charging Stations must comply with BABA requirements.

Yes. Charging stations must comply with ADA and Section 504 requirements. FHWA recommends stations be designed to the standards issued in the U.S. Access Board’s Design Recommendations for Accessible Electric Vehicle Charging Stations . Charging stations must also comply with Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) recommendations . Specific ABA recommendations will be outlined in the procurement notice.

Yes. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin for any programs and activities by any department, agency, or instrumentality of a state or local government extended federal assistance.

Title 23 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations is the regulatory document for the federal aid highway system. All applicable requirements under Chapter 1 or Title 23, U.S.C. apply to the administration of NEVI Program funding. As with federal roadway projects, NEVI projects must be adopted in the State and Local Transportation Improvement Program and Unified Planning Work Program. NEVI projects must also comply with state and federal environmental review.

According to 23 CFR 680.106(m), revenue generated from the project must be limited to reinvestment into Title 23 eligible projects beyond a reasonable return on investment (ROI) cap determined by the State. 23 CFR 680.106(m) states “all revenues received from operation of the EV charging facility are used only for:

• Debt service related to the EV charging station project, including funding of reasonable reserves and debt service on refinancing;
• A reasonable return on investment of any private person financing the EV charging station project, as determined by the State or other direct recipient;
• Any costs necessary for the improvement and proper operation and maintenance of the EV charging station, including reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation;
• If the EV charging station is subject to a public-private partnership agreement, payments that the party holding the right to the revenues owes to the other party under the public-private partnership agreement; and
• Any other purpose for which Federal funds may be obligated under Title 23, United States Code.”

ROI for South Carolina's NEVI program will be detailed within the procurement package.

SC+EV applicants must not purchase specific equipment for the initiative before being awarded a contract with SCDOT. Equipment purchase should take place following contract award and during the contract performance period. Any equipment purchased before a contract is in place will not be eligible for reimbursement during the initiative.

NEVI Formula Program funds are generally anticipated to be used for the acquisition and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Eligible expenditures include all construction costs for NEVI Formula Program projects that directly relate to charging an electric vehicle (EV), costs for onsite renewable energy generation and storage that travels only to and from the EV charging station, transformers and other on-site electrical equipment, electric grid equipment and upgrades as long as they are necessitated by the construction of the EV station, repairs, upgrades, and replacement of existing EV stations to make them NEVI compliant, and operations and maintenance costs for up to five years after the charging station is commissioned.

While the information above shares all potential eligible expenses, SCDOT may establish restrictions to what is considered an eligible expense for South Carolina’s NEVI Program. These restrictions will be detailed within the procurement package.

Workforce development activities are also eligible for NEVI Formula Funding as long as they relate to the charging of an EV. Workforce development activities should contribute to South Carolina’s compliance with NEVI requirements, including qualified technician requirements specified in 23 CFR 680.106(j). SCDOT suggests any applicants contact our team to discuss any potential for workforce development funding at connect@southcarolina-ev.com.

A goal of the NEVI program is to develop a skilled workforce to support growing EV charging needs. Applicants may consider how to recruit and train the necessary workforce to ensure sites are installed, operated, and maintained according to requirements.

To accomplish a fully executed charger buildout and complete Phase 1, the SC+EV initiative must achieve NEVI compliance. Charging stations must be located every 50 miles along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors within one mile of the exit. A NEVI compliant program is anticipated to include the development, construction, and launch of EV charging infrastructure at approximately 21 charging sites along South Carolina’s AFCs. At this point, SCDOT will receive certification from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and can then pivot to Phase 2 of the initiative, which will focus on meeting more local, community-level charging needs.

The site host may lease a property if the site owner has provided permission for the study, construction, operations, and maintenance of the charging station on site.

Mobile EV charging is not a target goal for this initiative. SC+EV will prioritize placing permanent EV chargers along AFCs in South Carolina.

SCDOT is currently developing the procurement approach for the SC NEVI program and will include requirements for teams inside of the procurement package.

The scoring criteria is still under development and will be included in the procurement package.

Private entities will own and operate the EV charging sites. Funding will be awarded to these site hosts who will construct, own and operate the EV charging stations. SCDOT does not intend to own or operate any charging stations.

Under NEVI Program Requirements, all stations must be operational at a 97% up-time for a minimum of five years. Private Industry Partners will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the charging stations in line with NEVI Program Requirements.

To be notified of the live application, please sign up for our mailing list on the Contact page of this website.

SCDOT anticipates announcing the first round of contract awardees following the procurement process in 2025.

SCDOT’s siting strategy included the identification of zones along South Carolina’s AFCs. Zones are collections of exits at least every 50 miles along a given AFC, within one mile of the AFC, and only one site per zone will be awarded. There will only be one site selected per zone, for a total of 21 charging sites throughout the state.

SCDOT intends to use a competitive selection process that aligns with associated federal requirements and helps achieve the goal of full AFC EV charging station buildout. The strategy used to identify potential sites was designed to maximize the number of sites and businesses that can participate, as well as incentivize participation from South Carolina-based businesses and site hosts. It was also designed to comply with the NEVI Program requirements for chargers to be located every 50 miles along that AFC and for all sites to be within one mile of the AFC exit. Interested organizations should consider the following in their interpretation of the siting map:

• One site per zone will be awarded funding
• Site hosts will only compete within the same zone
• There is no interdependency between zones; any single exit within a zone will fulfill NEVI spacing requirements (no more than 50 miles between stations and one mile off the AFC) regardless of how other zones are sited