Smart Growth Strategies for Transportation Electrification

Electric vehicles are becoming more widely adopted, while public and private investment in charging stations is increasing. Communities can achieve multiple benefits when they align these investments with local needs and existing infrastructure. Coordinated planning and siting can ensure EV charging infrastructure supports priorities for economic development, health, mobility and other community goals. Smart growth strategies can help communities guide investments to get the most benefit from transportation electrification.

On this page:

Background
Partnering for Community-Based Transportation Electrification
- Gonzales, Louisiana
- Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Additional Learning Resources
Related Funding Information

Background

Electrifying transportation can reduce air pollution while providing affordable transportation options that fit into specific community contexts.

Electric transportation options include:

Cars.
Public transit and school buses.
Micro-mobility vehicles, such as electric trikes, bicycles, and scooters.
Bike-, car- and ride-sharing.
Delivery and other commercial vehicles.

This image shows an electric vehicle charging station with two charger ports in front of a county library. — The Summit County Library in Park City, Utah has charging stations for visitors and employees. Photo by Margaret Smith/Akimeka. Courtesy of NREL/DOE.

Installing charging stations on main streets, near shops and restaurants or at recreational, educational or civic amenities provides EV drivers with convenient charging infrastructure. Siting chargers at community destinations can attract EV drivers by offering them places to go and things to do while their vehicles charge – which can be a boost for nearby businesses and the local economy.

People who live in multifamily homes, homes without off-street parking or rental units can have a difficult time finding a convenient place to charge their vehicles. Making charging facilities available at residential locations can support people in choosing EVs over gas-powered vehicles.

Equity is an important consideration in siting charging stations and electrifying transportation. Low-income, overburdened and underserved neighborhoods can see many benefits from a transition to EVs, including quieter street traffic and less air pollution. However, low-income households are less likely to be able to afford their own cars and could benefit from better access to electrified public transit, micro-mobility and shared-mobility alternatives.

To help ensure that disadvantaged neighborhoods realize benefits from investments in EVs and EV-charging infrastructure, communities can work with their school districts and transit agencies to get electric buses; prioritize routes in the most polluted places, such as travel corridors with high congestion and diesel traffic; and collaborate with other local agency service providers to electrify paratransit and other community-service vehicles.

Communities can also advance cleaner transportation and improve mobility options by incorporating EV-charging requirements or incentives in local building and zoning codes, including permitting and approval processes. Commercial and multifamily buildings can offer EV chargers – or at least be EV-ready – to provide convenient charging access to residents, employees and visitors. Communities can also work with nonprofits and other local organizations to support more affordable electric micro-mobility options.

Partnering for Community-Based Transportation Electrification

To help communities plan for an increase in EVs and develop strategies to fund and implement clean transportation, including EV-charging infrastructure, EPA is partnering with the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, the Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office and Clean Cities and Communities network, part of a DOE partnership to advance clean transportation nationwide for over 30 years.

Each partner brings distinct expertise to this collaboration.

EPA supports broad community development and environmental protection.
The Joint Office focuses on support to transportation electrification programs funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office focuses on the advancement and development of clean, affordable and efficient transportation technologies.
Clean Cities and Communities work directly with communities to advance cleaner and more energy efficient transportation systems.

This collaboration is conducted under the 2022 interagency Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate the nation's affordable and equitable clean transportation future. It aligns with activities to help achieve the goal of removing all emissions from the transportation sector by 2050 as outlined in the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization.

Community Collaboration

Learn about how EPA and its partners from DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory worked with the City of Gonzales, Louisiana, to help them plan for investment in EV infrastructure.

The initial phase of this collaboration provided technical assistance to two communities – Gonzales, Louisiana and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota – to help them plan for transportation electrification in ways that meet multiple community needs.

The technical assistance entailed working with each community to evaluate their assets and needs, engage with local residents and decision-makers at a planning workshop, facilitate conversations about local needs and goals and develop a community-driven action plan supported by a network of partners who can help with implementation.

Read Gonzales, Louisiana's story. Located in Ascension Parish, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Gonzales has a population of less than 12,000 but has grown rapidly in recent years. In February and March 2023, EPA and federal partners led a workshop in collaboration with Gonzales to support the city in its planning for federal and other investments in EV charging. The community conversation brought together residents, business owners, and others to share their thoughts about EVs and transportation electrification challenges.
Read Brooklyn Park, Minnesota's story. The city has a population of 86,000 people in Hennepin County, about 10 miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis. In March 2023, EPA and federal partners led a workshop in collaboration with Brooklyn Park to support the city in its planning for federal and other investments in EV charging. One significant benefit of the technical assistance was to connect people and entities working in the EV space and to bring them together to share information, create new relationships and develop innovative ideas.

EPA continues to work closely with the Joint Office, DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office and the Clean Cities and Communities to provide capacity building and technical assistance to communities seeking assistance to electrify their transportation systems. Outcomes from this ongoing collaboration will be posted to this page.

Additional Learning Resources

Green Vehicle Guide - Electric & Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (EPA) – This resource describes electric and plug-in hybrid EVs and how EVs work, including information about charging and driving range.
Alternative Fuels Data Center - Electric Vehicles (DOE) – Learn more about EV types, community EV readiness and information for multiple sectors (consumer vehicles, school buses, and other fleets).
Clean Cities and Communities (DOE): As a partner with the DOE's VTO, the Clean Cities and Communities partnerships across the country work locally to advance clean, affordable alternative transportation fuels, energy efficient mobility and fuel-saving strategies.
Clean Cities Energy and Environmental Justice Initiative (DOE) – Clean Cities and Communities is collaborating with DOE and its national laboratories to help ensure benefits of federal investments in clean transportation reach underserved and overburdened communities as part of Justice40. Under this effort, the Clean Cities Energy & Environmental Justice Initiative provides coalitions with training and resources on how to take a community-first approach to developing transportation projects.
Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure (DOT, May 2023) – This resource is intended to help rural stakeholders scope, plan and identify options to fund EV charging infrastructure in their communities. It includes information about equity considerations in the planning process and enables the user to filter multiple funding resources for rural electric mobility infrastructure.
Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Urban Electric Mobility Infrastructure (DOT, May 2023) – This resource is a a one-stop shop to help urban communities scope, plan and identify ways to fund EV charging infrastructure and support diverse forms of electric mobility, including travel by personal vehicle, transit, micro-mobility and ride-sharing services. It enables the user to filter multiple funding resources for urban electric mobility infrastructure.
Joint Office United Support for Transportation Lab Consortium – The JUST Lab Consortium conducts research on integrating equity into federally funded EV infrastructure deployment activities and offers state-of-the-art analysis capabilities to inform the planning and implementation of clean transportation policies and programs.
Geospatial Energy Mapper (Argonne National Laboratories) – This tool allows users to generate a customized map showing areas in the U.S. that are best suited for siting energy resources and infrastructure. The tool has more than 100 mapping layers, including demographic layers and models for different types of energy infrastructure. Mapping themes allow users to select multiple layers when considering projects like EV charging stations.
EV Charging Infrastructure Mapping Tools (Georgetown Climate Center) – This toolkit that allows users to evaluate potential locations of EV fast-charging infrastructure based on their own priorities. The mapping tool, based on census tract information, incorporates metrics and filters, like proximity to existing charging infrastructure, percent of households without access to charging and others, that can be used to rank census tracts for the area of consideration.

Related Funding Information

This section includes funding sources that may address EV and charging infrastructure, as well as other programs that can improve equitable transportation choices in communities.

Clean School Bus Program (EPA) – This webpage includes links to funding information and educational resources about clean school buses, including electric buses.
Federal and State Laws and Incentives (DOE) – This resource is a searchable library of information on funding, tax incentives and laws relating to alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. A map with state-specific information is also available.
DOT Navigator (DOT) – This site has general information about applying for grants and planning and implementing projects and services. There are links to searchable technical assistance services, funding programs and tools.