Florida plans to build air taxi pads using $200M intended for EV chargers
Florida officials are redirecting $200 million in federal EV charging infrastructure funding toward the development of landing pads for electric air taxis. The state claims existing private charging networks are sufficient, though critics note Florida has fewer chargers per vehicle than the national average.
Why it matters
This decision highlights a controversial shift in infrastructure priorities, moving away from mass-market EV adoption toward experimental urban air mobility.
Only one state boasts more EVs than Florida, but the state has fewer chargers per vehicle than the national average. Despite that, state officials have decided to redirect federal funding intended for EV charging to build out an electric air taxi network, according to a report from the Miami Herald.
Florida was awarded nearly $200 million under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program that is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But the state never spent the money, claiming that private companies have done a sufficient job building EV charging networks. The Florida Department of Transportation said it will instead use that money to build 32 landing pads with charging stations for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs.
The market for eVTOLs remains nascent. While startups have been making strides toward production-ready aircraft, they’ve also started pivoting to defense applications.
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