https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Works & Utilities


Eveline de Bruin/Pixabay

Article

The role of EV infrastructure in municipal mobility planning

The role of EV infrastructure in municipal mobility planning

  • Written by David Schmid and Luis Garcia
  • 16th September 2022

The movement toward electric vehicles (EV) is accelerating, being fueled by evolving consumer preferences, generous incentives from the federal government, and bold commitments from automakers that collectively aim to curb our nation’s carbon emissions over the next decade and beyond. Electric vehicle sales in the United States have revved up by more than 40 percent each year, on average, since 2016, and according to an eye-opening report recently released by McKinsey & Company, America will require some 1.2 million public EV chargers and 28 million private EV chargers by 2030. Fortunately, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law recently passed by Congress and enacted by President Biden targets $7.5 billion for building 500,000 EV charging stations nationwide, and forward-thinking planners at the city and county level must act fast to develop EV charging optimization plans and secure supplemental investments through public private partnerships (P3s) to bring this critical infrastructure to our communities.

Creating a roadmap for success
An EV charging optimization plan is, essentially, a roadmap to help municipalities and stakeholders navigate the extremely complex nature of EV technology and bring a range of environmental benefits and new revenue streams to the community. Appreciating that grants from the federal government to establish and fortify EV infrastructure won’t last forever, municipal leaders should quickly develop EV charging optimization plans and submit applications for funding that can cover most—and, in some cases, all—of the upfront investments.

When creating an EV charger optimization plan, it is important to incorporate supply-and-demand by analyzing meta data on traffic volume, registered EVs and other external factors. This will provide the insights necessary to complete a spatial analysis of potential charging sites to ensure optimal accessibility. In terms of siting, municipalities generally benefit from possessing a trove of prime real estate for on-street and off-street EV charging stations amid public sidewalks and other high-traffic areas in commercial districts. Local governments have also been strongly encouraged to focus on maximizing EV usage and promoting equity among people with a diverse range of incomes and backgrounds.

Here are some other factors to consider when planning public EV charging facilities in high-density areas:

  • Collaborate with an experienced mobility and electrification partner to ensure you have a sound plan in place that meets the projected demand over the next five to 10 years.
  • Expand charging networks beyond the urban core, into other urban neighborhoods and suburbs easily accessible to all.
  • Install more chargers at existing charging stations, which is more economical than building new stations.

Leveraging public private partnerships (P3s)
Public private partnerships are also a worthy pursuit to realizing EV solutions at the municipal level, as private sector entities are often willing to subsidize projects and provide vital infrastructure in exchange for a minimum-term operating agreement. This agreement can drastically minimize upfront capital expenses and provide municipalities with long-term, steady revenue sources.

For example, Georgia recently unveiled a plan to boost its state EV charging infrastructure through P3s, whereby the state would not own, operate or maintain the EV charging locations. Private partners will be found through a competitive solicitation process, according to state officials. In neighboring Florida, the state passed legislation to allow for public-private partnerships relative to EVs, and Colorado released an EV deployment and infrastructure plan to create a sense of certainty and commitment that invites widespread investment from the private sector.

Private sector operators also can provide insight into the optimal fee structure, charger visibility, and advertising best practices to increase usage among drivers and create an appealing profit structure for local governments. Local governments, in turn, can support the private sector by streamlining permitting processes, augmenting existing charger networks, and creating policy that further incentivizes EV development.

EV demand has been established beyond a doubt, and now is the time for municipalities to take advantage of the resources and opportunities that have been made available to flood the market with supportive EV charging infrastructure. As we saw with pandemic-inspired bailout grants for struggling businesses and households, the government assistance programs were robust but eventually ran out of money. Taking stock of those lessons learned, it is incumbent upon municipalities to act quickly in the aftermath of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—in collaboration with varying levels of the public and private sectors—and become early adopters of sustainable technology that will benefit communities for years to come.

David Schmid is the chief investment officer of Propark Mobility, a Hartford, Conn.-based national mobility and parking management company with more than 750 locations in more than 100 cities. Schmid leads mergers and acquisitions, the real estate division and Propark’s Cloudpark Technology Initiative.

 

Luis Garcia is the senior vice president of mobility at Propark, where he oversees overall strategy, development, planning and implementation of Propark’s mobility offerings and partnerships. For more information, visit Propark.com.

Tags: homepage-featured-1 homepage-featured-2 homepage-featured-3 homepage-featured-4 Public Works & Utilities Smart Cities & Technology Public Works & Utilities Smart Cities & Technology Article

Most Recent


  • Amid spike, federal transportation department launches initiative to curb traffic-related deaths
    While stay-at-home orders might be a thing of the past, the pandemic’s impact is still felt daily through expectations to socially distance, the prevalence of masks in high risk areas like hospitals, and the stubbornly high annual rate of traffic-related deaths. Traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high in 2021, and preliminary data points to a […]
  • These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future
    From smart devices to electric vehicles, the success of technological advancements rely on municipal grids and infrastructure. Some cities are better equipped for the future than others. A new analysis from the tech company ProptechOS ranks the top 10 American cities best positioned for a “smart city future.” “But new technologies can only support us […]
  • public health
    How public health can build a “one health” infrastructure for the future
    Public health challenges—like antibiotic resistance, vector-borne disease and a global pandemic—have eluded traditional public health tools and frameworks. As a result, public health leaders focus more and more on the intersection between the environment and human health. Searching for a better framework to understand emerging threats to human health, many in public health circles have […]
  • Report: With increasing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there's a need for 'safe and connected infrastructure'
    Electric scooters and e-bikes are rising in popularity. As transportation options diversify, local policymakers are beginning to integrate micromobility means as integral fixtures in transportation networks and climate action plans, given their health and climate benefits. But along with solutions, they’re also bringing with them a slew of hurdles. A report out of Oregon highlights […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • parking
    Ensuring accessible parking for employees returning to work
  • Transportation program distributes $2.2 billion for projects—double last year's amount
  • EV charging
    Cities lay the groundwork for an adequate EV charging infrastructure
  • EV infrastructure
    EVs are coming in a big way – Will charging infrastructure be ready?

White papers


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future

1st February 2023

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Amid spike, federal transportation department launches initiative to curb traffic-related deaths dlvr.it/Shvs31

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Engaging businesses to strengthen your community dlvr.it/ShvZn0

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Some public employees face financial hardship; comprehensive pay packages proved ‘a pathway toward economic… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2nd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Strategic Budgeting for Modern Government dlvr.it/ShrHmD

2nd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future dlvr.it/Shp7sH

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

How public health can build a “one health” infrastructure for the future dlvr.it/ShnlKm

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Four Steps to Better Municipal Fleet Fuel Purchasing dlvr.it/ShnbWP

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: With increase popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s a need for ‘safe and connected infrastructure’ dlvr.it/ShlKmJ

31st January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.