The Electrification Coalition (EC) recently contributed to the Charging Smart Communities Program, a collaborative effort to help cities and counties drive transportation electrification. Through this program, the EC helped ten small Ohio communities develop comprehensive plans for electric vehicle (EV) adoption and charging deployment. The process further demonstrated that local governments are eager to advance the adoption of EVs and build the necessary supporting infrastructure within their communities, but often face barriers when working to deploy at scale.
Here are the EC’s top five takeaways from the program:
1. Developing an actionable electrification plan is key for successful implementation.
For communities with limited or no prior experience with EVs, the Charging Smart Communities Program offered the resources and guidance needed to plan first steps and map out future actions. This foundational support was crucial in helping these communities overcome the initial barriers to entry. For communities further along in their EV adoption journey, the program built upon existing groundwork with carefully planned actions, ensuring that progress could continue.
2. Staff involvement and training is crucial to driving a small
government’s electrification plan forward.
The electrification roadmaps created by the EC for the Ohio cities and counties that participated in the Charging Smart Communities Program served to educate staff and the broader communities. By providing clear support and deliverables, the EC and its partners gave local Ohio governments with limited personnel the technical knowledge and confidence to chart precise paths forward and effectively catalyze EV adoption and charging infrastructure deployment.
3. Data makes a difference.
A lack of comprehensive data can prevent local governments from taking the first steps toward fleet electrification. The EC’s Dashboard for Rapid Vehicle Electrification (DRVE) is a fleet analysis tool that provides personalized projections for the total cost of ownership (TCO) savings of switching to EVs based on fleet size and vehicle preferences.
On average, the program participants were projected to see cost savings of 12% by electrifying their light-duty fleets. The accessibility and clarity of the DRVE Tool results helped easily demonstrate the benefits of EVs over conventional vehicles and allowed the Charging Smart Communities Program participants to provide evidence-based support for their electrification plans.
To learn more and discover fleet TCO savings, download the DRVE Tool.
4. Setting feasible goals drives momentum.
To foster future EV adoption in local communities throughout Ohio, the EC provided estimates of the number of new Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC), publicly available Level 2 (L2), and workplace-only L2 charging ports needed to support sustained growth. These estimates, based on reasonable timelines for adoption and deployments, provided the program participants with attainable benchmarks to track progress and stay on course.
5. Collaboration maximizes community benefits.
Collaboration allows cities, counties, utility companies, network charging providers, and other local entities to synergistically work together to provide comprehensive charging options within their communities while minimizing costs. Throughout the program, the EC consistently recommended that small governments collaborate with other entities on everything from community outreach and educational events to grant applications and charging deployment.
The Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL) program is one example of how collaboration can help bolster EV adoption. The EVAL program, established by Forth Mobility and supported by the EC and many other transportation electrification organizations, serves to recognize employers who provide EV charging in the workplace. Workplace charging fills gaps in charging networks, increases accessibility for community members without home charging, reduces public costs, and improves employee retention at participating workplaces.
Learn more and apply for the certification for your workplace via EVAL.
Conclusion
No village, city, or county, regardless of where they are at in the electrification process, is too small to proactively plan for more EVs on the road. Small governments and their capacity to focus on local progress are essential to supporting the federal goal of 50% of all new vehicle sales in the U.S. being electric by 2030. Residents of all communities deserve access to electric transportation infrastructure, and the communities engaged in the Charging Smart Communities Program are at the forefront of that effort. The program’s success demonstrates the critical need for support to smaller communities as the transition to electric transportation accelerates and highlights their potential for growth and development.
The Charging Smart Communities Program is run under the leadership of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and the Great Plains Institute (GPI), with further support from Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO), Clean Fuels Ohio (CFO), the EC, and others. During the program, the EC provided technical assistance, conducted fleet analyses, and created electrification roadmaps for ten Ohio communities to help to facilitate the rapid adoption of EVs and the deployment of EV charging infrastructure. The program focused on underserved, disadvantaged, and rural populations, ensuring that at least 50% of participants came from these groups. Learn more about the program.