Medium- and Heavy-Duty Charging Infrastructure Grant Program

The Oregon Department of Transportation is offering the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Charging Infrastructure funding opportunity to support development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along Interstate 84 and Interstate 5 in Oregon. Up to $17,264,867 is available through two federal funding streams administered by ODOT. Of this amount, $4,264,867 in federal Carbon Reduction Program funds is designated for development of a single M/HD charging station along I-84, and $13,000,000 in federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure funds is designated for development of two M/HD charging stations along I-5. The broader objective is to develop reliable, convenient, and affordable charging infrastructure that supports current vehicle use while positioning Oregon for future medium- and heavy-duty transportation electrification. Eligible projects may include depot charging, en-route and corridor charging sites, and multi-user hubs serving freight and goods movement as well as transit buses, school buses, refuse trucks, drayage trucks, long-haul vehicles, and other qualifying fleets. The program supports acquisition, installation, operation, and maintenance of DC Fast Charging, AC Level 2, and megawatt electric vehicle supply equipment. Sites must provide at least 3 MW of nameplate capacity, or add at least 3 MW for an expansion project, and must include at least eight charging ports, with at least four ports offering charging at 150 kW or greater. Unless megawatt charging is installed initially, the site must include infrastructure supporting future installation of at least one megawatt charger. I-84 projects must be within five miles of the Alternative Fuel Corridor, while I-5 projects must be within one mile. Public Access, Hybrid Access, and Restricted Access configurations are eligible, although ODOT states a strong preference for Public Access sites. Federal funds may reimburse up to 70 percent of eligible project costs, and the grantee must provide a minimum 30 percent Match Share toward eligible project costs. Eligible expenses can include site preparation, permitting, design, environmental review, preliminary engineering, charging equipment, construction and installation, battery energy storage and other distributed energy resources, future-proofing infrastructure, eligible electrical service equipment and minor grid updates, charger hardware and software, ADA improvements, signage, certain site amenities, workforce development, property leases or easements, fixed operations and maintenance costs during the Period of Performance, and approved administrative or indirect costs. Ineligible expenses include real estate purchases, costs incurred before a fully executed grant agreement, lobbying, research projects, major grid upgrades, utility-covered upgrades, variable operating costs such as electricity and insurance, and unapproved indirect costs. Project management costs are excluded from Match Share. Eligible applicants include any incorporated entity, federally recognized Tribe, NGO, electric utility, or local government entity, including cities, counties, and transit districts, provided no federal or state restriction prevents ODOT from awarding federal funds to the entity. The primary applicant must own the federally funded charging station for the full term of the agreement, is the entity with which ODOT will execute the agreement, and is the only entity to which reimbursement will be made. Applicants must comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements, including Title 23 CFR Part 680, 2 CFR Part 200, the Davis-Bacon Act, FHWA Form 1273, ADA requirements, Title VI, NEPA, and Build America, Buy America requirements. The Period of Performance for operations and maintenance is five years or 60 months. Applications must be submitted electronically through ODOT's Cognito application portal on the M/HD webpage. Applicants must complete the Cognito Application Form for each proposed charging station site and submit a completed Attachment 3 Cost Proposal Form without changing its formulas. Application materials also include a Site Host letter of commitment, information addressing NEPA readiness, electrical capacity and utility coordination documentation where applicable, an Affidavit of Non-Collusion, Attachment 5 Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form, utilization documentation appropriate to the proposed access model, resumes for key personnel, and a current Oregon Secretary of State Business Registry number. Restricted or Hybrid Access projects must provide signed agreements and/or letters of intent from more than one Authorized Fleet Operator. Applicants proposing confidential or protected information must follow ODOT's designation requirements and provide a fully redacted version of the application. Applications first undergo a pass/fail Responsiveness Check. Responsive applications are competitively evaluated by a Review Committee of at least three members. The maximum score is 150 points per proposed site, including 35 points for project team qualifications and experience, 30 points for understanding of requested services, 60 points for site characteristics and project readiness, 15 points for future proofing, innovation, and resiliency, and 10 points for cost proposal efficiency. NEPA readiness, electrical capacity readiness, expected utilization, operations and maintenance planning, federal compliance experience, EVSE experience and reliability, safety, cybersecurity, accessibility, distributed energy resources, and cost per installed kW are among the evaluated factors. A tie is resolved in favor of the applicant with the lowest cost proposal. The NOFO was advertised August 5, 2026. An application webinar and listening session is scheduled for August 26, 2026 at 11:00 AM PDT. Questions and comments are due August 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT by email to MHDZEV@odot.oregon.gov, and answers are scheduled to be posted September 4, 2026. Applications are due October 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT, and awards are expected to be announced in November 2026. Successful applicants must complete pre-agreement activities, including a risk assessment and potentially a financial review, and must sign the agreement within 60 calendar days of receipt. Reimbursement proceeds by project phase, followed by annual operations and maintenance reimbursement during the five-year Period of Performance, with O&M payments subject to compliance with the 97 percent average annual uptime requirement.

Prioritize sites with no NEPA-risk factor triggers because one or more triggers results in 0 points for NEPA Readiness; demonstrate immediate or credible phased access to 3 MW nameplate capacity with meaningful utility coordination; provide strong evidence of expected utilization and note that Public Access projects can earn up to 20 utilization points while Restricted or Hybrid Access projects can earn up to 10; demonstrate federal compliance and 150kW+ EVSE experience; provide a credible plan for at least 97% uptime; clearly identify DER-related costs so they are excluded from cost-per-installed-kW scoring; ensure every required document is submitted because the Responsiveness Check is pass/fail