https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/07/trump-admin-freezes-ev-charging-program-that-gave-tesla-millions/ stating from the start:
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has paused funding for a $5 billion EV charging infrastructure program that Tesla has received at least $31 million from. The move is widely viewed to be illegal.
It’s the latest attempt from the Trump administration to hack away at federally funded renewable energy projects around the country, a clear priority for the president in his first few weeks back in office.
It’s also more evidence that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s politics are increasingly at odds with his car company’s goal of advancing the transition to sustainable energy. By the middle of last year, Tesla had won around 6% of all awards from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program in question, netting millions of dollars in the process.
One of the first executive orders Trump signed in January took aim at charging infrastructure programs, including NEVI.
Now, a letter sent Thursday to the directors of state DOT offices says that the “new leadership of the Department of Transportation” wants to “review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI” program.
The Federal Highway Administration, the DOT agency that wrote the letter, said it will update the guidance for NEVI and publish it for public comment in “the spring.” The DOT division says no new funding can go out until that new guidance is finalized. InsideEVs was the first to report the letter.
NEVI was part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed into law in 2021. Congress had appropriated $1 billion annually to the program from 2022 to 2026.
Beth Hammon, senior vehicle charging advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement that the Trump administration “does not have the authority to halt it capriciously. ”
“Stopping funding midstream will result in chaos and delays in states across the nation. It will throw state efforts into turmoil, wreak havoc with the companies that install the chargers and risk the jobs of their workers,” she said. “The only winner from this chaos is the oil industry.”
[...]
And Elon is well positioned, already well vested in Tesla charging stations, his brand, on the ground and operating nationwide.
Related reporting -
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5289922/trump-transportation-department-ev-charging-halt
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-states-stop-spending-ev-charging-infrastructure/
Remember, the oil barons did respond during the elections when Trump told them to stand and deliver, giving Trump's campaign record money levels.
https://truthout.org/articles/big-oil-spent-445-million-to-influence-2024-elections/
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/oil-tycoons-open-money-floodgates-trump
https://www.newsweek.com/after-heavy-spending-elect-trump-oil-industry-has-energy-wish-list-2015471
So, big oil stymies competition, Musk sees competition against his "in place" charging network stymied in large part. How that might be helpful to you or me appears unclear.