Arizona Opens Only Three of 21 Planned EV Charging Stations, Four Years After Approval

Arizona’s first three electric vehicle charging stations funded through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program are open, approximately four years after federal approval of the state’s deployment plan and months after the Arizona Department of Transportation’s original target for a larger initial network.

The stations in Tucson, Green Valley and Wellton were announced as open Oct. 14. ADOT’s Phase 1 award list identifies federal funding totaling $1,715,369 for projects in those locations. The listed awards do not establish final expenditures or how much the developers have received in reimbursements.

The rollout follows a timetable that changed substantially after the state began seeking developers. In its January 2024 procurement announcement, ADOT said it expected 21 facilities to be operating by the end of 2025. At the time, the department anticipated construction would take approximately one year.

Arizona had received federal approval for its initial deployment plan more than a year earlier. In a Sept. 15, 2022, announcement, ADOT said $11.3 million would become available immediately, followed by another $16.3 million that October.

The department initially anticipated soliciting bids for upgrades to existing stations in spring 2023 and new construction in autumn 2023. The funding was part of Arizona’s $76.5 million allocation under the federal infrastructure law.

According to ADOT’s procurement timeline, the first-round request for proposals was issued Jan. 19, 2024, and closed April 19. The department announced awards for 18 locations on Aug. 27, 2024, saying some stations were expected to open by late 2025.

The October 2026 opening announcement came approximately 33 months after the first solicitation and 26 months after the awards announcement. Those intervals encompass procurement and project development; the announcements do not establish how long physical construction took at each site.

The federal awards listed for the three projects include $487,411 for Tesla’s Tucson location at Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q, $635,547 for Francis Energy’s Green Valley project, and $592,411 for Tesla’s Chevron location in Wellton. Together, they average approximately $571,790 per station location.

ADOT’s records contain an address discrepancy for Green Valley. The award sheet lists 140 W. Duval Mine Road, while the opening announcement identifies 119 E. Duval Mine Road. The documents identify the project with a shopping center on Duval Mine Road but use different street addresses.

Under the program, federal funds cover up to 80% of eligible project costs, with private developers responsible for at least 20%. ADOT says no state funds will be used for station construction. The facilities are privately owned and operated. Arizona’s $76.5 million allocation supports the broader planned network of as many as 79 stations.

Other highway operators have used concession agreements to finance service-area improvements. In a 2017 announcement, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority said HMSHost and Sunoco would invest more than $250 million in buildings and facilities in exchange for long-term food and fuel operating contracts. The authority said the private companies’ proposed investments would require no tax or toll dollars.

The announcement projected replacement service-area buildings costing $10 million to $15 million each and separately identified $90 million in Sunoco improvements at 21 fuel facilities. Most capital improvements were scheduled during the first seven years of the contracts.

NJTA separately published construction-related closure schedules for individual service areas. In August 2022, NJTA announced that the Garden State Parkway’s Vauxhall and Brookdale South service areas would close for at least nine months while their buildings were demolished and replaced. Three additional Turnpike service areas were scheduled for approximately nine-month closures for replacement or remodeling. Those schedules projected construction-related closures at existing service areas, while Arizona’s four-year interval includes planning, procurement and project development.

ADOT spokesman Garin Groff attributed the lengthy development process to coordination with private participants in an interview with ABC15.

Groff said working with private owners and operators lengthened the process, with ADOT facilitating federal funding for the privately operated facilities.

Federal policy changes also affected the NEVI program during the rollout. The Government Accountability Office documented that a Feb. 6, 2025, Federal Highway Administration memorandum suspended previously approved state plans and prohibited new program obligations pending revised guidance and approvals. Expenditures under existing project agreements were allowed to continue. The announcements reviewed do not establish how that interruption affected the three Arizona stations.

In its May 22, 2025, decision, GAO concluded that withholding the funds was unauthorized under the Impoundment Control Act and that DOT must continue carrying out the program’s statutory requirements. 

The department’s implementation guidance says private developers set charging prices and ADOT receives no share of charging-fee revenue. Developers must meet a minimum 97% uptime requirement and provide performance reports. ADOT says it can withhold funds during the operations and maintenance period when a developer fails to meet that standard.

Additional stations remain in development. ADOT’s October announcement projected openings in Seligman and Holbrook later this year and identified 11 other projects under construction or in design. It also announced bidding for 49 additional locations, supported by an estimated $49 million in federal funding. Construction for that round is expected to begin in 2028 and take approximately one year.