PennDOT Awards $37 Million for 515 EV Charging Ports in Five Philadelphia-Area Counties, With $7.2 Million to One Firm
- EVs Infrastructure & Grid Connection News
Marin Holt
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- 8 minutes read
- Awarded: $37 million
- New public charging ports: 515
- Largest award: $7,217,193 to Positive Energy for 54 DC fast charging ports
- Regional increase in chargers: 27%
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation awarded $37 million in federal NEVI Community Charging grants on October 28, 2026. The money builds 515 new public EV charging ports in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll announced the awards in Philadelphia. PennDOT says the new ports raise the number of EV chargers in the southeastern region by 27%, and by 53% inside Philadelphia.
The money comes from the Community Charging phase of the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. In February, PennDOT said it would direct $100 million in federal funding to community chargers across four regions. Around $34 million had been earmarked for this first tranche, the southeastern counties. The awards announced this week total $37 million, so the region drew more than its original share.
Where the Money Goes
One award dominates the list. Positive Energy, Inc. receives $7,217,193 for 54 DC fast charging ports at 11 Philadelphia Parking Authority parking lots. PNE Solutions America Inc. receives $4,465,575 for 24 DC fast charging ports at five Philadelphia retail sites. They include Aldi on Front Street and the Court at Cottman. It’s Electric PA, Inc. receives $2,928,120 for 157 on-street Level 2 charging ports. They cover 13 Philadelphia neighborhoods, from Hartranft to Logan.
Those three awards cover 235 of the 515 ports. The rest is spread across more than 30 smaller grants in the suburban counties. Wawa, Inc. appears four times. It gets eight DC fast charging ports at each of its Bensalem, Paoli and Oxford Avenue stores, and 16 ports across Colmar and Horsham. Tesla, Inc. receives $392,000 for eight DC fast charging ports in Broomall. It gets another $392,000 for eight ports at a Wawa in Plymouth Meeting. EVgo Services receives $907,955 for 12 DC fast charging ports at Warminster Town Center. Blink Network receives $743,928 for four ports at a Royal Farms in Ridley Park.
Township governments and a university also won money for Level 2 ports. Buckingham Township gets $110,820 for four ports at Holicong Park. East Vincent Township gets $97,600 for four ports at its municipal building. The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania get $280,000 for 16 ports at Penn Park and Penn Museum. Voltpost, Inc. won on-street Level 2 awards in all four suburban counties. The largest is $482,991 for 23 ports in West Chester, Phoenixville and Malvern.
Program Context
PennDOT says Pennsylvania has built 54 stations with NEVI funds, more than double any other state. Another 34 are in planning or construction. The state has already put $58 million into chargers on Alternative Fuel Corridors and Corridor Connections. Since the first NEVI station opened in December 2023, PennDOT counts over 183,000 charging sessions at those sites. It also counts over 21.6 million estimated miles driven. NEVI funds up to 80% of eligible project costs, so awardees cover the balance.
Community Charging rounds remain open in the Western, Central and Eastern regions. Local planning agencies pick the priority areas. Any publicly available site in a region is eligible to apply.
Why It Matters
This round shows where NEVI money lands once states move past highway corridors. The biggest checks went to parking-lot operators and shopping-center hosts for DC fast charging, not to utilities or fleet depots. The price points are now public. Each eight-port Wawa site drew $848,131, and Regis Assets drew $1,000,000 for eight DC fast charging ports at Marketplace at Neshaminy in Bensalem. Four Level 2 ports at a township park or building drew $97,600 and $110,820. Site hosts in the three open regions who want the larger awards need a fast-charging plan ready before the regional deadlines close. Because NEVI pays up to 80% of eligible costs, they also need the rest of the money lined up.
Critical Perspective
The headline number is ports, not kilowatts. PennDOT’s release lists 515 ports but never states the power rating of a single award, so a 157-port on-street Level 2 contract and a 54-port DC fast-charging contract count the same way. By port count, It’s Electric PA and Positive Energy are the two largest winners. By grant dollars per port, the $2,928,120 for 157 Level 2 ports works out to a fraction of the $7,217,193 for 54 fast ports, and the release does not say what either operator must deliver in uptime or throughput for the money.
The $34 million to $37 million gap also goes unexplained. PennDOT said in February that around $34 million was earmarked for this first tranche. Either the region drew from another region’s share, or the program total moved, and the release says neither. The usage figures PennDOT cites, 183,000 sessions and 21.6 million miles since December 2023, describe the 54 corridor stations already built, not the community sites funded this week. Whether a Royal Farms lot in Glenolden or a township park in Buckingham draws similar traffic is the question these awards will answer, and no one will know for two or three years.
Sources
- PennDOT: Shapiro Administration Invests $37 Million in EV Chargers in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Oct 28, 2026)
- electrive: Pennsylvania commits $100m to community EV charging under NEVI (Feb 20, 2026)
- DVRPC: $34 Million Available for Southeast Pennsylvania in NEVI Community Charging Funding (Feb 2026)
