Oregon's first federally funded EV fast charger is due in December as ODOT seeks bids for 20 more (Oct. 26)
Quick Read
The Oregon Department of Transportation expects the state's first NEVI-funded EV fast-charging station, at a 76 gas station in Gladstone along Interstate 205, to open in December 2026.
ODOT opened a third grant round on Oct. 21 with $15.9 million in federal money, aiming for at least 20 more public fast-charging stations on 10 highways, including I-5, U.S. 20 and U.S. 101.
The company picked to build stations on I-5 south of Eugene couldn't move forward, so ODOT canceled that agreement and put the stretch back up for bids; applications are due Jan. 22, 2027.
Agreements are signed for 24 Round 2 stations, including sites in Albany and Corvallis on U.S. 20, and ODOT says at least five Round 2 stations should open in the first few months of 2027.
Oregon's federally funded network of highway fast chargers is close to switching on its first station. The Oregon Department of Transportation says it expects the first station paid for through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, known as NEVI, to open in December at a 76 gas station in Gladstone, along Interstate 205. Several more should follow in the first few months of 2027, the agency says.
At the same time, ODOT is going back out for more. On Oct. 21, the agency's Climate Office opened a third NEVI grant round with $15.9 million in federal funding, which ODOT estimates will pay for at least 20 public DC fast-charging stations along 10 roads: Interstates 5, 82, 84 and 405; U.S. Highways 20, 26, 95, 97 and 101; and Oregon Highway 42.
What it means for Willamette Valley drivers
Two stations from the program's second round are planned in the mid-valley, both on U.S. 20: one at a Roadway Inn in Albany and one at a Super 8 hotel in Corvallis, according to ODOT's project list. Both are assigned to Universal EV LLC. ODOT says it has signed agreements with all seven Round 2 companies, which together are slated to build 24 stations, and that at least five Round 2 sites should open in early 2027.
The new round puts more money on the main north-south route. ODOT's Round 3 funding notice sets aside $2,333,835 for I-5, seeking at least four NEVI-compliant stations, and $3 million for U.S. 20, seeking three or more. The notice does not list specific towns; eligible stretches are shown on an ODOT online map, and the agency says it generally won't consider sites more than 5 miles outside those zones.
Every NEVI station must have at least four DC fast-charging ports that can each deliver 150 kW at the same time, be open 24 hours a day, take contactless card payments and require no membership, according to ODOT.
The first station
The Gladstone site is being built by Electrify America, which is also planning a second I-205 station at a Fred Meyer in Happy Valley. ODOT says the Gladstone station will have 350 kW ports, a pull-through parking spot, security cameras and overhead lighting, and will sit near restrooms and shopping.
In early October, OPB reported that Electrify America had finished all pre-construction requirements in Gladstone and expected to break ground that month. Andrew Dick, the company's business development manager for incentives, told OPB its Oregon stations were back on track after the federal funding freeze slowed the work.
Why it has taken so long
Oregon is set to receive about $52 million over five years from NEVI, which was created by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Private companies that win grants must put up at least 20% of project costs and commit to five years of maintenance, according to ODOT.
The program stalled in February 2025, when the Federal Highway Administration suspended state NEVI plans, ODOT's timeline shows. Oregon joined other states in suing in May 2025, and a federal court ordered the funding restored that June. OPB reported that ODOT's own budget shortfall also played what the agency's transportation electrification coordinator, Brett Howell, called a "small role" by slowing hiring.
Two of the three companies Oregon picked in the first round have since dropped out. ODOT canceled its U.S. 97 agreement in October 2025 and, this month, canceled the agreement for I-5 south of Eugene, where EV Gateway had been chosen to build stations between Cottage Grove and Medford, according to ODOT and OPB. EV Gateway did not respond to OPB's requests for comment, and Willamette News found no public statement from the company.
ODOT is changing its approach for the new round. In Round 2 it gave priority to bids that would build out an entire corridor, but it received none, so Round 3 will score all proposals equally and rate cost proposals on efficiency, according to the funding notice.
The debate over the program
EV advocates say the delays have hurt drivers. Jeff Allen, executive director of the EV group Forth, told OPB that federal changes have made things "really difficult" for states, charging companies and drivers. OPB also reported that the Trump administration has proposed requiring NEVI-funded chargers to be 100% American made, up from a little more than half, which Allen called a standard almost nothing could meet. Willamette News did not find a public response from the U.S. Department of Transportation about Oregon's program specifically.
Nationally, only 132 of 1,014 announced NEVI-funded charging sites were operating as of Aug. 12, OPB reported, citing Plug In America. Oregon has about 140,000 registered electric cars and trucks, according to OPB.
What's next
Round 3 applications are due at 5 p.m. Jan. 22, 2027, and any incorporated entity or federally recognized Tribe may apply, according to ODOT. The agency plans to make conditional awards by the end of February 2027 and post them on its NEVI webpage. Questions go to ORNEVI@odot.oregon.gov.
Sources
Oregon Department of Transportation: National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program in Oregon (updated October 2026)
Go Electric Oregon (ODOT Climate Office): Grant opportunity for NEVI-funded DC fast charging stations now open (Oct. 21, 2026)
Oregon Department of Transportation: Notice of Funding Opportunity, NEVI Round 3 (PDF)
OPB: 2 years in, Oregon still has no electric vehicle fast-charging stations through a $52 million federally funded program (Oct. 2, 2026)
Cover photo: Electrify America DC fast charging station hub, by Oleg Yunakov, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments