The cities of North America are going green at a rapid pace. This is especially true of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, which grew 30% across fifty metropolitan areas in 2020.
With an increased focus on EVs, many cities have established greening initiatives around their existing charging infrastructure. Fortunately, there are many ways that fleet managers can source, upscale, or install EV chargers to make their cities more equitable and resilient.
This guide can help you address your public fleet’s greening initiatives by considering new opportunities for your EV charging infrastructure. Even if your municipality isn’t yet focused on green initiatives, you can use the insights here to develop future-focused ideas.
Common EV greening initiatives in North American cities
Thousands of pioneering North American cities have established greening initiatives for the betterment of their communities. They focus on reducing emissions and carbon footprints, and they encourage equitable transportation for citizens, tourists, and their families.
A few admirable EV greening programs include the following.
1. Electrify America’s Green City Program
The Green City Program hosted by Electrify America was designed to install upgraded EV charging infrastructure around Los Angeles neighborhoods. Specifically focused on the busy areas of Long Beach and Wilmington, stakeholders have contributed more than $25 million to fund new public vehicle chargers. Additional charging stations are part of the program, including those for freight trucks tasked with serving the community.
2. Greening America's Communities Plan
Previously referred to as Greening America's Capitals, Greening America’s Communities plan was created by and for public officials. This government-based initiative can help cities and municipalities develop innovative green infrastructure and plan for the implementation of EV charging stations. Acceptance into the program leads to professionally developed schematics, suggestions for EV infrastructure, and testing groups for pilot neighborhoods.
3. EV Spot Network
The city of Minneapolis offers a unique car-share program designed to assist civilians and greening initiatives alike. This continuous project provides EVs to ride-sharing civilians, along with curbside charging stations referred to as the EV Spot Network. There are currently seventy curbside charging stations within a thirty-five-mile area, which is expected to increase as the initiative builds momentum.
While EV greening initiatives have yet to reach every city, rapid growth, development, and education in this sector will lead to many new greening initiatives in the future, especially regarding EV charging infrastructure.
Ideas for improving EV charging infrastructure in cities
Improving the state of your EV charging infrastructure is a great first step toward meeting your city’s greening initiatives.
Here are a few ways to embrace change head-on with practical strategies and established best practices.
1. Start with SMART goals to define your EV transition plan
Have you had time to audit your existing EV charging infrastructure? If not, establishing SMART goals may be a good place to start.
Ask yourself:
- What sort of EV charging equipment do we already own?
- Who is going to oversee the development process?
- What resources and stakeholders do we need to contact first?
- How do we plan on measuring the success of our EV transition?
If you would like additional information about SMART goals for EV transitions, you can use this EV Fleet Guide to get started quickly.
2. Upgrade your existing equipment first
Before spending large amounts of money on brand-new charging equipment, consider how performing updates on existing infrastructure could make a difference for your city.
Currently, three different types of charging performance are available for EVs: 1, 2, and DC fast charging. Moving up a level or installing one or two more effective levels could enhance your charging infrastructure without requiring an overhaul.
3. Install new EV charging infrastructure in key locations
If you decide to install new infrastructure around your city, choose strategic locations that provide the greatest value for your money. Try focusing on local hubs, workplaces, tourist destinations, parking garages, and other areas first. Next, you can expand into local neighborhoods with the highest adoption of EVs.
Remember, you can always rely on Sourcewell to source competitively solicited contracts for the purchase of new EV charging infrastructure.
Using Sourcewell to discover competitive EV charging infrastructure
With the help of Sourcewell's cooperative contracts, government entities can take the first step in creating new EV infrastructure to support green initiatives.
It offers:
As a government organization serving other government organizations, Sourcewell is a trusted authority in the EV procurement space, with multiple partners across North America.
Sourcewell awards contracts in electric vehicle supply equipment. These contracts assure that government entities can take the first step in creating the infrastructure to support green initiatives. See how Sourcewell can save you time and money while getting the fleet equipment that you need already on contract.
