Weiser: Proposed federal EV charger manufacturing rule sets 'impossible' standard

Weiser: Proposed federal EV charger manufacturing rule sets 'impossible' standard

March 16, 2026 (DENVER) - Attorney General Phil Weiser today led a coalition of 19 attorneys general and the governor of Kentucky urging the Federal Highway Administration to withdraw a proposal that would require electric vehicle chargers funded with federal dollars to be made entirely with U.S. components.

"A 100% domestic manufacturing requirement for EV chargers is simply not realistic today," said Attorney General Weiser. "Colorado strongly supports American manufacturing and American jobs, but we also need practical standards that allow states to build the charging infrastructure Congress funded. This proposal would halt or delay projects across the country and slow progress toward a reliable national charging network."

Under current federal rules, EV chargers funded through federal infrastructure programs must be assembled in the United States and contain at least 55% domestically manufactured components beginning this fall. The attorneys general argue that the new proposal - raising that requirement to 100% - sets a standard that manufacturers cannot currently meet.

As the comment letter explains, FHWA should not adopt the proposal because it conflicts with federal law, exceeds the agency's authority, and is arbitrary and capricious.

States across the country are using federal funding from programs such as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program to expand EV charging networks. In their comment letter, the coalition explains that imposing a 100% domestic component requirement would likely halt many of those projects because no chargers currently meet that standard.

The attorneys general also note that manufacturers and states have already made significant investments based on the current framework, which gradually increases domestic manufacturing requirements to the 55% level established in federal law. Abruptly changing that standard would undermine those investments and slow the growth of domestic EV charger manufacturing in the United States.

The coalition is urging FHWA to withdraw the proposal and maintain the current approach, which supports both domestic manufacturing and the timely deployment of EV charging infrastructure nationwide.

Attorney General Weiser led the coalition submitting the comment letter, joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, and the governor of Kentucky.

Read the attorneys general's comment letter to the Federal Highway Administration (PDF).

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