Florida plans to redirect nearly $200 million in federal funding originally awarded for electric-vehicle charging infrastructure towards an electric air-taxi network. The move matters because Florida has a large EV market but fewer chargers per vehicle than the national average, raising questions over whether the funding is being used to address the state’s more immediate transport needs.

The Florida Department of Transportation says private firms have sufficiently developed charging networks and proposes building 32 landing pads with charging facilities for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The aircraft, typically designed for four or five passengers, are still an emerging technology; Florida hopes they could ease traffic, while the pads may be located at airports, golf courses and luxury apartment buildings. Updated federal guidance permits states with fully developed EV charging corridors to redirect funds to publicly accessible EV-charging infrastructure, while states including New York and North Carolina have used similar funding for community chargers.