Between good-natured jabs about which state has the better trail system and shared enthusiasm for supporting their communities, 24 local governments from Michigan and Ohio became the first cohort in the novel EV Smart program. EV Smart is a technical assistance program focused on electric vehicle (EV) readiness for local governments. This first cohort was facilitated by Great Plains Institute (GPI), with technical assistance provided by GPI along with in-state partners Clean Fuels Ohio, Michigan Municipal League, and Ecology Center. This cohort was funded by General Motors’ Corporate Giving Climate Fund.
Key takeaways from the first EV Smart cohort:
- The first EV Smart cohort involved 24 communities from Michigan and Ohio.
- The communities completed 24 best practices and have another 84 in progress.
- In a post-program evaluation, communities found the webinars and technical assistance guides to be the most useful parts of the program.
Local governments in Michigan and Ohio take on EV readiness best practices
The first iteration of this program was a pilot focused on the communities completing one best practice toward becoming “EV Smart.” Participating communities were encouraged to complete one EV Smart best practice chosen from a suite of 27 best practices. After just six months of technical assistance, the EV Smart participants completed a total of 24 best practices! Furthermore, they had a total of 84 best practices in progress by the close of the program in March 2023.
What is EV Smart?
The program’s best practices fall under six categories: planning, regulation, utility engagement, education and incentives, government operations, and shared mobility. The best practices range from electrifying a municipal fleet to educating residents about EVs on the municipal website.
One of the most completed or in progress best practices was “provide public chargers.” This means that across Michigan and Ohio, there are communities of all sizes working to build out public EV charging infrastructure in addition to removing barriers through regulation and public education.
EV Smart is for every community, rural or urban, big or small
As the country is racing to curb carbon emissions from the transportation sector, GPI’s EV Smart Program is focused on educating and empowering local governments to prepare their communities for the accelerating shift to electric vehicles on their roadways.
Of the 24 participating communities, 17 are considered rural or underserved. Often, local government staff lack the capacity to chase after these innovative actions alone. By offering guides on suggested ordinance, planning, and communications language and twice monthly webinars on EV topics, GPI and in-state partners were able to help fill these capacity gaps, especially in smaller or underserved communities.
Minnesota joins EV Smart
The first cohort of EV Smart closed in March 2023, with participating communities celebrating their accomplishments together over a virtual gathering.
GPI isn’t pumping the brakes on this technical assistance program, though! The second EV Smart cohort is already underway and includes cities and Native nations within Minnesota.
The second cohort is expanding on the goals of the first and encourages participating communities to get EV Smart certified at a bronze, silver, or gold designation by earning points. Points are given for actions that fall under the best practices explored by the first cohort. Communities also need to ensure they are preparing for EVs in an equitable way to gain certification. The Minnesota cohort will be running until March 2024.
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