How Cities Assess EV Infrastructure Deployment

Organising tenders for public EV charging infrastructure is a key tool for public authorities - national, regional and local - to shape the EV charging network needed to enable their citizens to switch to electric private or shared cars and vans. As part of the European Commission's Sustainable Transport Forum sub-group on best practices by public authorities to support the deployment of charging infrastructure, we've produced this new updated guide. Getting EV charging right - both in terms of planned locations and the ability of users to charge flexibly - is a key objective for public authorities, especially as grids increasingly appear to be a bottleneck in the wider energy transition. Concession agreements can be used as a tool to channel and direct (future) charging demand to areas with sufficient capacity or where grid upgrades are feasible or planned. Passing on dynamic energy prices and the benefits of DSO-led local flexibility programmes to end users will not only reduce their bills, but also deliver wider societal benefits - a key reason to get it right. (For more on this topic, also see Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)'s short public authorities smart charging guide by Dr. Julia Hildermeier and me: https://lnkd.in/gEtUd_XX) Using concessions as a tool, public authorities can ensure that public EV charging takes place in locations: ⚡ where grid capacity is available 👐 expanding access and improve accessibility ☀️ can be co-hosted with renewable energy generation 🚃 align with multimodal transit, parking vision As EVs mature, public charging network deployment may progress through stages: one after another: 📍 Strategic 🕸️ Coverage-based 📈 Usage-based Ensuring that chargers facilitate the ability of users to integrate their electric vehicles into the energy system (AFIR, Article 15.3) is another aspect that public authorities can address in a tender. Similarly, these tender requirements should include requirements for energy efficiency, modularity and upgradeability to extend the technical life of the charging infrastructure. Public authorities can also speed up the roll-out of public charging and reduce costs for all parties involved by coordinating with their local DSO at all stages. By forecasting and properly modelling (flexible) EV charging demand, the necessary (anticipatory) investments can be made as needed. Pre-approval and pre-application for grid connections before / during a tendering process can significantly speed up the actual deployment by selected charging point operators. One-step approaches, where the grounding and other civil works for the grid connection by the DSO, the installation of the charging point by the operator and the right parking / signage by the public authority are all combined in one go, are a proven way to save time and the scarce resource of skilled labour needed in the energy transition.

#Publicationalert: Public Charging Infrastructure Pocket Guidelines 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗩 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗱𝘂’𝘀 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 When we began working with the six EV-ready cities of #TamilNadu — #Chennai, #Coimbatore, #Madurai, #Trichy, #Salem, and #Tirunelveli — one challenge became clear: stakeholders knew charging infrastructure was critical, but many were unsure of the exact steps. Questions came up like: - Where do we begin? - Which land parcels should we prioritise? - How do we forecast demand across vehicle types? - What approvals are required, and from whom? To address this, alongside the comprehensive Tamil Nadu Public Charging Infrastructure Guidelines, the #Tamilnadu released the Pocket Guidelines — a concise, 30-page reference in English and Tamil. Formally adopted by the Department Of Industries Commerce Government Of Tamil Nadu and Guidance Tamil Nadu, the guidelines will now guide coordinated action across #TNGECL, #TNPDCL, Urban Local Bodies, and other departments. We at ITDP - India will continue supporting this effort to ensure that EV charging infrastructure is developed in line with these standards — making adoption easier, faster, and safer across Tamil Nadu. What does it do? It translates complex regulations into clear “what, why, how” actions for cities, utilities, and operators: 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 → tools to estimate how many chargers each city needs, by vehicle segment. 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → step-by-step process for selecting optimal locations, integrating land use, traffic, and power access. 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 & 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 → collated technical and safety rules in one place for easy compliance. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 → cost components, business models, and revenue options for charge point operators. By simplifying the technicalities, the Pocket Guidelines help government agencies, ULBs, and charge point operators align quickly — cutting delays, reducing uncertainty, and accelerating on-ground rollout. For Tamil Nadu, where #EVmanufacturing is already strong, this is about ensuring #EVadoption keeps pace — and giving cities the confidence to act.   Gratitude: To the TN Guidance team: Darez A. | Alarmel mangai | Prabakaran Andi Saravanan | Renold Regan G | Shanmugapriya Murugananth I Vishnu Venugopalan I To the ITDP - India team: Sivasubramaniam Jayaraman I Sooraj E M I Bezylal Praysingh I Pavithiran R I Kashmira Dubash I Varsha Jeyapandi I Donita Jose I Aangi Shah #EVCharging #ElectricMobility #TamilNadu #CleanTransport #NetZero

What comes first for cities: the #ElectricVehicle or the #ChargingStation? This question poses a critical paradox for city administrations. Our new Sustainable Cities and Society paper, 'Systems-based approach to public electric vehicle supply equipment expansion: An international policy analysis', digs into over 100 policies across #Australia, #Canada, #Germany, the #UK, and the #US to see how governments are tackling the #EVcharging conundrum. Spoiler: it’s not just about sprinkling #EVchargers around and hoping for the best. Early utility involvement, smarter data-sharing, and treating charging as part of a bigger #UrbanSystem (energy, land use, mobility, sustainable energy) are key to avoiding the #EV equivalent of 'phone booth deserts'. Read the full open-access article here, and a copy is enclosed for convenience: https://lnkd.in/gSd7x5Cc Kudos to my co-authors, especially Niklas Tilly, and Kenan Degirmenci and Alexander Paz for their outstanding contributions, insights, and teamwork that made this international policy analysis on EV charging infrastructure possible. QUT (Queensland University of Technology) QUT Engineering, Architecture and Built Environment QUT Urban AI Hub

Local governments may not know it, but they have a key role in electrifying transportation. These are mostly new areas for city staff, who face countless challenges already. Consider: ⚙️ Local governments set permitting and regulatory requirements that determine whether charging is included in new multifamily housing developments - and they can also encourage existing apartment owners to make charging available for residents. 🅿️ Local governments typically control most parking in their communities - and they should be planning now to ensure that cars will have access to curbside right of way charging anywhere they are allowed to park. 🔌 Many local governments have secured Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grants to directly fund charging infrastructure (such as those announced just last week.) As states finish building out corridor charging under the NEVI program, they will also work with local governments to invest in community charging. 💡 Local governments operate large fleets themselves. By converting these fleets to electric vehicles, they can save money while helping their residents better understand EV technology. 🚲 🚍 Local governments face decisions about how to invest in bike facilities, transit, carsharing, and other alternatives to driving alone. Electrifying these options can often make them more attractive to users and cheaper to operate. Where should a local government begin? Luckily, we now have an answer! Under the leadership of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Forth and other partners have launched Charging Smart to provide free tools, guidance, and public recognition for cities, counties, and regional governments as they navigate these complex issues. For more information on Charging Smart, including how eligible communities can sign up, visit ChargingSmart.org. Forth also collaborated with the Sierra Club, Plug In America, the Electrification Coalition to produce the AchiEVe Toolkit, designed to accelerate the switch to clean, electric vehicles (EVs) and e-mobility in an effective and equitable way by providing various stakeholders with model policies at the state, local, and utility levels. #eMobility #EVinfrastructure #infrastructure #charging #electrification