2023-03498: Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers

Summary

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is establishing a temporary public interest waiver to waive Buy America requirements for steel, iron, manufactured products, and construction materials in electric vehicle (EV) chargers. This short-term, temporary waiver enables EV charger acquisition and installation to immediately proceed while also ensuring the application of Buy America to EV chargers by the phasing out of the waiver over time. On the effective date of this waiver, it will apply to all EV chargers manufactured by July 1, 2024, whose final assembly occurs in the United States, and whose installation has begun by October 1, 2024. Beginning with EV chargers manufactured on July 1, 2024, FHWA will phase out coverage under this waiver for those previously covered EV chargers where the cost of components manufactured in the United States does not exceed 55 percent of the cost of all components. This second phase will therefore apply to all EV chargers that are manufactured on or after July 1, 2024, whose final assembly occurs in the United States, and for which the cost of components manufactured in the United States is at least 55 percent of the cost of all components. For all phases, EV charger housing components that are predominantly steel and iron are excluded from the waiver and must meet current FHWA Buy America requirements. As of the effective date of this waiver, FHWA is also removing EV chargers from its existing general applicability waiver for manufactured products.

The agency’s own summary, as published.