EV Charging After the One Big Beauiful Bill

Funding Challenges for Charging Infrastructure and Manufacturing Incentive funding, equipment choices, and the shifting economics of EV adoption was cited as Tom Healey , VP facilities at Nouria Energy Corporation, explained that grant availability directly shaped investment decisions. With past incentives, it was easier to choose higher-ca- pacity equipment, such as a 320-kilowatt charger, over a smaller 100-kilowatt unit. Now, without comparable funding, the company is “reevaluating” those choices.

storage solutions or battery-to-battery charging poles. All these applications continue to benefit from 45X as a “carrot” designed to reduce battery deployment costs. However, Niese noted that the credit now comes with restrictions tied to “foreign entity of concern” provi - sions. This means manufacturers with certain foreign ownership or licensing, particularly linked to countries like China, are ineligible. Alongside tariffs and executive orders, these measures are reshaping sourcing priorities. “There’s U.S.-based solutions, particularly the ones that are 45X-based, that have been hit and penalized less hard on the stick side and therefore are able to rise to the top,” he said, adding that domestic producers now have a competitive edge despite historically higher costs. Tariff Impacts Tariffs, battery sourcing, and global policy comparisons dominated the exchange on whether tariffs were influ - encing EV infrastructure investment more than the loss of federal incentives. Palmer called the tariff impact on vehicles “huge,” pointing to China’s ability to produce low-cost LFP batteries that make smaller EVs affordable and “good enough” for mainstream adoption. In the U.S., producing batteries at that price point remains difficult, but retaining and leveraging 45X incentives could enable domestic production of high-volume,

only minimal purchases. He relays that customers say, “When the installation of the charger in my depot is costing me too much, I don’t make the TCO anymore. Therefore, I will reduce to a trickle how many more I’m going to buy.” Niese agreed, saying BCG’s analysis had already detected a “meaningful” decline in demand before the latest policy changes, particularly in heavy commercial segments. Light commercial vehicles, such as Ford’s E-Transit, had been more resilient, but are now facing a “double-whammy” from both economic and policy pressures. Palmer added that early adoption had been driven in part by legislative requirements for fleet composition, which pushed operators to start buying well before deadlines. With those rules eased or removed, they’re changing their planned purchases. Roy Strasburger , CEO of StrasGlobal, president of Compliance Safe and Vision Group Network co-founder, asked for clarification on the specific incentives provided under the 45X program for battery development. Niese explained that 45X offers $35 per kilowatt-hour in credits for domestically produced battery cells, plus an additional $10 per kilowatt-hour for battery modules. These components can be used in electric vehicles or stationary storage systems (BESS), and even integrated into EV charging units, either in large, containerized

“ From the perspective of an EV charging station installer, the incentive money does impact our decision making on what type of equipment we’ll put in.

Tom Healey , VP Facilities, Nouria Energy Corporation

Palmer said installation costs have become a deci- sive barrier. Even when vehicles are well-matched to customer use cases and performing as intended, high infrastructure costs have eroded total cost of owner- ship (TCO) to the point where some fleets now plan