Experts are questioning President Donald Trump’s latest effort to slow the electric vehicle charging buildout in the U.S. In a letter Thursday night, the Trump administration directed states to stop spending money for EV charging infrastructure,

“The majority of Americans will read this and pick up that ‘Trump has killed EV charging,’” said Loren McDonald, a principal at the EV-charging data firm Paren. “For people that are on the fence on getting an EV, this means ‘I shouldn’t get one because I won’t be able to take that road trip.’”

The Federal Highway Administration suspends federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations pending review of program costs and benefits.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has suspended a $5 billion electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure program, from which Tesla had previously received at least $31 million. The move is seen as part of the Donald Trump administration's broader strategy to cut back on federally funded renewable energy projects.

Under Trump-appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the states' pre-approved plans to build new stations are null and void, even if they've already broken ground.

The Trump administration says it is suspending approval for all state funding for planned electric vehicle charging stations, effective immediately.