Texas moves forward on Electric Vehicle, big rig charging. The state Transportation Commission has cleared the way to release National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure grants, as the private sector proceeds to build charging depots for heavy-duty trucks. May 13, 2026 - Even an oil and gas powerhouse like Texas is transitioning to electrified transportation, as the state and private sector move forward with zero-emission charging stations for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The Texas Transportation Commission recently signed off on Phase II of the state's plan for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, allocating some $250 million in federal grants to build 147 electric vehicle charging stations serving light-duty electric vehicles (EV). The NEVI program is part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion bipartisan package to spur infrastructure development and innovation. Truckers are also getting charging depots. Greenlane, an operator of heavy-duty truck charging, has announced plans to develop two new sites in Dallas and Houston along the Interstate 45 corridor, to open in early 2027. Each of the charging stations is planned to provide six to eight pull-through lanes, tractor parking and charging, with chargers designed to support both combined charging system connectors for current-generation trucks and megawatt charging system connectors for next-generation vehicles, company officials said. "Megawatt charging we see as the next phase of charging for commercial vehicles, and will deliver charging speeds on par with diesel and allow the industry to move forward," Greenlane CEO Patrick Macdonald-King said during a May 5 press event at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas. The conference brought together fleet operators and technology providers. Greenlane is partnering with companies including Nevoya, a zero-emission freight network that will use the Greenland charging infrastructure. "Texas is kind of the perfect commercial state for battery-electric vehicles, because you actually have zero incentives, and you have to do everything based on economics," Nevoya CEO Sami Khan said at the ACT Expo press event. Texas has not overlooked planning for heavy-duty freight electrification, state officials said. "TxDOT is currently working to begin a development phase for medium- and heavy-duty freight in late summer 2026," Julien Devereux, a Texas Department of Transportation media relations official, said in an email. Texas officials confirmed the state is not providing incentives for Greenlane's heavy-duty charging buildout, a departure from the stance taken in California, where Greenlane also operates charging depots. In Colton, Calif., a charging plaza near the intersection of Interstates 10 and 215 provides 41 high-speed charging ports ranging from 240 kilowatts to 400 kilowatts. The project was partly funded with a $15 million grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which aims to increase charging availability in an effort to encourage zero-emission trucking in an area long plagued by vehicle pollution. The I-45 corridor in Texas is heavy with freight activity and ripe for the expansion of electrified trucking, Macdonald-King said. "This is one of those high-volume freight corridors in the country," he said. "This unlocks the potential for a lot of our customers." Texas was awarded some $323 million from the NEVI program to build out high-speed passenger vehicle charging. The recent approval to release $250 million in federal grants will help fund some of the more rural charging locations, officials said; construction on these is slated to begin in late 2027. At least 13 NEVI-funded sites are now open in Texas, according to a TxDOT report from January. As of January, more than 456,650 EVs were registered in Texas, making up about 1.8 percent of all vehicles registered in the state, according to that same report. The state now lists 218 high-speed EV charging stations as open, planned or under construction.

The San Francisco-based electric trucking startup Nevoya has raised $9.3 million in venture backing for its technology that applies artificial intelligence (AI) orchestration and workflow automation to a road freight sector that relies on legacy systems, the firm said.