​HANOVER, MD (December 11, 2025) – The Maryland Department of Transportation is energized this holiday travel season as the state celebrates the opening of its first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations built under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. The first three sites are operational and conveniently located near major corridors in Anne Arundel, Cecil and Garrett counties. Today, the Department joined Pilot Travel Centers at the Flying J Travel Center off I-95 in Elkton, Cecil County to officially commemorate the opening of these chargers. EV partners, community members and state and local officials came together for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the milestone.

“These NEVI-funded fast chargers are ready to quickly power up EVs and get travelers back on their journey this holiday season,” said Maryland Department of Transportation Acting Secretary Samantha J. Biddle. “Thank you to all the companies who are partnering with us to build out Maryland’s NEVI program and provide working EV chargers to fill the state’s growing need.”

As of today, there are more than 148,000 registered EVs on Maryland roads. The Maryland Department of Transportation is committed to ensuring EV charging is accessible for everyone.

The first round of the NEVI program funded the construction of 19 charging stations in critical travel corridors across the state. The first three stations began construction this past summer and opened this fall. Maryland's first NEVI station at the Pilot Travel Center in Grantsville in Garrett County opened on October 21, with stations opening next at the Flying J Travel Center in Elkton on November 12 and Royal Farms in Jessup in Anne Arundel County on December 1. Partnering companies are completing design or building the 16 other NEVI-funded charging stations and are expected to have them open to the public by the end of next year.

“The benefits of the federal NEVI program are critical to Maryland’s goal of expanding electric vehicle usage in the state and making EV charging accessible, reliable and convenient for all travelers,” said State Highway Administrator Will Pines. “SHA is committed to Maryland’s EV future, and our partnerships with state, local and federal agencies and private sector leaders such as Pilot are helping us lead the way.”

Partners awarded funding under the program are responsible for providing at least 20% of the construction funding and operating and maintaining the chargers for five years with at least 97% uptime, ensuring stations remain functional and reliable for the traveling public.

The funding for round one of the NEVI program is approximately $9.5 million. This past October, the Maryland Department of Transportation announced round two conditional awards with an additional investment of $9.6 million to expand EV charging sites through NEVI, increasing the overall number of fast-charging ports funded by the NEVI program across the state to 166. In total, Maryland will receive about $63 million in federal formula funding from the NEVI program over five years to expand the state's network of charging stations.

“Investing in our electric vehicle infrastructure is a win-win – it helps us breathe cleaner air by reducing dirty emissions while also supporting good-paying jobs,'' said Senator Chris Van Hollen. "That’s why I fought to pass the infrastructure modernization bill and bring these investments to our state. The opening of these charging stations marks an important milestone toward improving access to EV charging and supporting a cleaner, greener future for our state.''

The NEVI program, created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation State