Becoming Electric Vehicle Ready

Cities have tremendous influence over how and where infrastructure is built and serve as a critical and necessary partner in the transportation electrification market transformation. Great Plains Institute, which facilitates Drive Electric Minnesota and is a lead partner in Charging Smart, identified six principles that play an essential role in locally deploying electric vehicles (EVs):

Planning—adopt planning language that promotes electric vehicle deployment and accessibility
Regulation—create building codes to allow more installations of electric vehicle charging stations
Utility engagement—collaborate with the utility serving the community to create electric vehicle utility programs, including charging incentives
Education and incentives—provide education on electric vehicles and charging for residents
Government operations—lead the charge toward electric transportation by installing public charging stations for your community and purchasing vehicles for your fleet
Shared mobility—transition shared mobility options, such as buses, scooters, and bikes, into electric mobility options

Charging Smart

Charging Smart is a program that offers free technical assistance to local governments, giving them the tools to facilitate and speed transportation electrification to ensure its benefits are accessible to all.

Charging Smart is funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), with the Great Plains Institute (GPI) as the lead partner. It is built on the expertise of GPI’s partners and GPI’s experience with over 150 communities across six states and four Native nations. For a brief program overview, go to GPI’s Charging Smart 101 blog post. To fill out the interest form, go to the Charging Smart website.

Planning Resources

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BEST PRACTICES

Comprehensive plans are a great way to encourage EV adoption in communities because they set long-term goals to work toward. The Great Plains Institute developed the guide linked below to provide resources to local governments as they craft comprehensive plans. Drawing examples from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area and several examples from Greater Minnesota, it provides relevant guidance for cities across the Midwest.

Download Transforming Minnesota’s Electric Vehicle Market→

ST. LOUIS PARK, MN’S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The City of St. Louis Park’s comprehensive plan incorporates several EV initiatives, including a kick-start project to install EV charging infrastructure in public parking lots and increase EV adoption to meet the city’s goal of reducing vehicle emissions by 25 percent by 2030 (pp. 4–37).

Download the St. Louis Park Comprehensive Plan→

Regulation Resources

SUMMARY OF BEST PRACTICES FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE ORDINANCES

Local governments can significantly impact electrifying transportation through zoning ordinances. This summary guide, developed by the Great Plains Institute, is designed as a reference for local governments looking to establish EV zoning standards or development regulations. The examples are not intended to constitute recommendations but rather to show the breadth of choices made by communities across the United States to integrate electric vehicle supply equipment into development regulations.

Download the Summary of Best Practices for Electric Vehicle Ordinances→

Saint Paul’s Permit Application Process

The City of Saint Paul created a permitting process for electric vehicle charging station installation. The permitting process is for both residential and commercial buildings and outlines the different permits needed based on the type of charger being installed.

City of Saint Paul Permit Application Process→

Utility Engagement Resources

Utility Website Toolkit

Utilities have a unique opportunity to provide EV education and programs for EV owners. This website toolkit, developed by Drive Electric Minnesota, includes tailorable website content, different types of utility programs, and information on MNCharging.org. Local governments can connect their utilities to this toolkit and use this for their public and municipal utilities, too.

Utility Website To olkit→

Local Government Roadmap to Engaging Utilities on Electric Vehicles

The Great Plains Institute created a road map for local governments to build relationships with their utilities while building electric vehicle infrastructure. Communicating with the community’s utility can inform a local government about energy costs and demand charges. Local governments can also invite utilities to events to inform current and prospective electric vehicle owners about the available utility programs.

Local Government Roadmap to Engaging Utilities on Electric Vehicles→

Education and Incentives Resources

Ride-and-Drive Checklist

Drive Electric Minnesota has created a checklist for communities wanting to host a ride-and-drive. It includes a timeline, a materials list, what to expect during the event, and post-ride-and-drive items. If communities want additional assistance when planning a ride-and-drive, please reach out to [email protected].

Ride and Drive Checklist→

Electric Vehicle Incentives Database

Drive Electric Minnesota hosts a database of incentives available to Minnesota residents and entities across the state. These include electric vehicle incentives, charging incentives, and other incentives. Drive Electric Minnesota can provide an embedded link to the incentives database to those interested.

Electric Vehicle Incentives Database→

Electric Vehicle Resources Database

Drive Electric Minnesota has a database of resources on electric vehicle education and utility programs that are primarily Minnesota-specific. There are fact sheets and toolkits for local governments and fleets, as well as general information about electric vehicles that can be shared with your community.

Electric Vehicle Resources Database→

Government Operations Resources

Drive Electric Minnesota’s Electrify Your Fleet

Our Electrify Your Fleet page includes buying guides, leasing options, and best practices for entities looking to add EVs to their fleets. The web page also provides information on which vehicles are the best for this transition. Local governments can use this page as a guide as they transition their fleet.

Drive Electric Minnesota’s Electrify Your Fleet→

Drive Electric Minnesota’s Charging Guidance

This web page includes guides for which types of charging stations an entity should purchase based on several factors and where chargers should be installed. There is more guidance for public, workplace, and fleet charging.

Drive Electric Minnesota’s Charging Guidance→

Shared Mobility Resources

Mobility Learning Center

The Shared-Use Mobility Center maintains a wealth of tools, articles, multimedia, and other resources on shared mobility. Users can use the helpful search tool to locate applicable resources.

Mobility Learning Center→

More Access and Less Traffic: Transportation Demand Management Recommendations for Minnesota Municipalities and Employers

Transportation demand management (TDM) aims to increase the transportation options people can use to travel, reducing traffic and emissions. This white paper by the Twin Cities Shared Mobility Collaborative recommends tailorable practices for municipalities and employers to implement TDM programs. By incorporating TDM, communities can identify and measure the need for shared mobility.

More Access and Less Traffic: Transportation Demand Management Recommendations for Minnesota Municipalities and Employers→

Shared Micromobility Policy Toolkit: Docked and Dockless Bike and Scooter Sharing

This policy toolkit was developed by the University of California, Berkley, and provides policies and practices communities can use when creating a shared micro-mobility program. The toolkit includes information on safety, economic potential, demographic statistics, and case studies from different US cities.

Shared Micromobility Policy Toolkit: Docked and Dockless Bike and Scooter Sharing→