Electric vehicle (EV) technology encourages sustainability benefits by reducing environmental pollution primarily associated with transportation-related activities. With the EV market share anticipated to exceed half of all new vehicles sold by 2040, there is an urgency to begin preparing for an EV future now. Therefore, there is a need to develop a statewide EV network expansion plan that requires establishing policies, planning practices, technical siting guidance, and electric power grid requirements designed to accommodate an extensive EV charging load.
On the other hand, to ensure EV charging access is accessible throughout the state, including historically underserved communities such as rural areas and communities of concern, equity best practices must be established and incorporated into the plans. A failure to create a viable and reliable EV infrastructure and associated policies will hinder EV adoption and exacerbate the health and environmental impacts caused by the transportation sector.
The proposed Project will develop a series of planning and policy best practices and technical guidance for siting EV charging infrastructure to support the expansion of the charging network and its management in North Carolina. This research will assess local planning policies and power utility considerations to develop guidance that informs the efficient and equitable development of a statewide EV charging network plan.
The policy and planning research tasks will result in a practice-ready guidance document. This document will include guidance for local agencies, draft policies that can be locally adopted to simplify EV infrastructure permitting and approvals at the municipal and county level, and guidance that highlights opportunities for NCDOT to collaborate and support external partners in improving statewide EV infrastructure.
Additionally, the technical guidance derived from models for siting EV charging infrastructure will support the charging network’s expansion and provide insights on charger deployments given geographical limitations, travel demand constraints, electric power grid requirements, and equity considerations.
The research results will be practice-ready, implementable guidance on EV network siting and development. The policy and planning best practice and EV development guidance can be used to support MPO, RPO and local planning agencies for siting local EV infrastructure and developing planning policy that encourages the establishment of an equitable and technically sound EV charging infrastructure.
