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Solar Power + Electric Vehicle Charging: Capturing Synergies in Minnesota
6/1/2024
A suite of aggressive climate action legislation, including a series of solar development commitments, has contributed to Minnesota reducing the carbon intensity of its power sector by 29% over 2013 levels. However, the carbon footprint of each sector has not dropped equally. In 2018, the transportation sector overtook power generation as the leading emissions producer statewide. The same focus on solar energy—combined with electric vehicle (EV) use—offers a vital opportunity for Minnesota to decrease transportation emissions. The analysis in this report examines the underdeveloped synthesis between solar production and EV charging, presenting seven key findings paired with relevant recommendations to transform the market and decrease transportation-based emissions.
Authors: Brian Ross; Katelyn Bocklund; Matthew Prorok; Dane McFarlane; Abby Finis
Battery Energy Storage for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
6/1/2024
This help sheet from the Department of Energy Joint Office of Energy and Transportation provides information on how battery energy storage systems can benefit electric vehicle (EV) fast charging infrastructure across the U.S. Specifically, the help sheet provides an overview of battery-buffered fast charging, as well its benefits, risks, and relevant use cases. The help sheet also provides guidance on how to begin implementing battery-buffered fast charging.
Embedding Equity into Community EV Readiness Planning
6/1/2024
New electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure presents an opportunity to imbed greater equity into surrounding communities. Doing so ensures that all community members are heard during the nationwide clean transition, and also streamlines the process of securing funding from federal offices that prioritize equity-based initiatives such as Justice40. This help sheet examines pathways to more effectively embed equity considerations into EV charger development, including strategies for community outreach, zoning, needs assessments, receiving funding, and more.
Best Practices for EV Carsharing Programs
6/1/2024
Carsharing programs are common throughout the U.S., but few so far have focused on electric vehicles (EVs). Over the past six years, Forth Mobility has developed and trialed several EV carshare programs to identify and better understand the best practices and roadblocks to implementing these programs in underserved areas, such as in low-income and rural communities. This paper shares lessons learned by analyzing the following subject areas: revenue planning; site host, technology platform, and vehicle type selection; educational outreach; marketing strategies; and community organization partnerships.
Authors: Connor Herman
Grid-Constrained Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Sites: Battery-Buffered Options
6/1/2024
America’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network is growing quickly, but many rural regions across the country experience electrical grid restraints that complicate the EV charger build-out. Government agencies must still devise strategies for deploying chargers in these locations where electrical grid capacity is more limited. This technical assistance case study provides guidance on battery-buffered options for EV charging sites with limited grid capacity, including infrastructure solutions, project economics, energy specification methods, technical considerations, and other relevant strategies.
Navigating Options for Transportation Electrification and Solar Charging: Steps and Lessons Learned in Montana Communities
6/1/2024
Drawing on analysis and outreach in three Montana communities (Missoula, Bozeman, and Whitefish), this report provides guidance and best practices for other towns and cities across the country on how to effectively implement electric vehicle (EV) transportation options into their communities. The report incorporates logistical considerations—vehicle types, chargers, electricity generation—and useful strategies—effective stakeholder engagement, coordinating EV charging and renewable energy generation, and more—to cover the technological, economic, and environmental aspects of the transition to EVs.
Authors: Andrew Valainis; Kyla Maki; Chase Jones; Natalie Meyer; Amy Cilimburg
Best Practices for Gig Drivers' Transition to Electric Vehicles
6/1/2024
Despite using a greater proportion of hybrid vehicles, transportation network company (TNC) drivers, or gig drivers, produce more greenhouse gas emissions than average drivers because of “deadheading,” or trips taken enroute from one passenger’s drop-off to another’s pickup. Further, gig drivers’ wages are low, often barely crossing the poverty line for a family of four. This report addresses the equity barriers to decarbonizing the gig transportation economy and provides programmatic recommendations to assist gig drivers transition to electric vehicles.
Authors: Ian Sergeant
Physical Safety and Security at Electric Vehicle Charging Sites
6/1/2024
As electric vehicle (EV) demand grows, so does the need for more robust EV charger safety and security. EV charger host sites must work to uplift driver and passenger confidence by incorporating design elements that promote greater safety and security. This help sheet outlines various best practices for public EV chargers. While the help sheet indicates the higher monetary costs attributed to greater safety and security measures, it also clarifies the greater repeat customers rates that result from these improvements.
SiLVERS: St. Louis Vehicle Electrification Rides for Seniors Final Report
5/1/2024
Program-specific electric vehicle (EV) use cases can be particularly helpful towards nationwide EV adoption, as they prove EVs can perform as well, if not better, than their internal combustion counterparts. This case study highlights the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from a 3-and-a-half-year pilot program that employed EVs to deliver and transport senior citizens around the St. Louis area. The study demonstrates how electrifying social services not only maintains performance, but simultaneously reduces carbon emissions and saves on operating costs, the latter being a particularly significant factor for programs receiving little funding.
Authors: Connor Herman
Hot Weather Impacts on Battery-Electric Transit Buses
5/1/2024
This help sheet provides information about the impact of hot weather on battery electric buses (BEB) that transit fleets should consider when integrating BEBs into their fleets and a checklist of relative precautions that transit agencies can take during the deployment planning process to ensure optimal performance of BEBs in hot weather.
Powering Seattle Fleets: A Charging Infrastructure Strategy for Battery-Electric Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
5/1/2024
Within the Puget Sound region, transit agencies are positioned to lead in a surge of electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs). Seattle City Light (SCL), the municipal electric utility of Seattle, is responsible for both ensuring sufficient infrastructure and grid capacity to meet the future energy requirements of electrification of these vehicles. This report serves to inform development of the charging infrastructure strategy for the utility through analysis of projected charging infrastructure development and local vehicle data. The analysis resulted in seven broad recommendations for the utility, addressing en-route charging, depot charging, internal operations, and communications with fleets.
Authors: Steimer, H; Allcock, C; Minjares, R; Brito, J; Buysse, C
Clean Cities and Communities Overview
4/26/2024
Clean Cities and Communities is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership to advance clean transportation nationwide. More than 75 DOE-designated Clean Cities and Communities coalitions work locally in urban, suburban, and rural communities to strengthen the nation's environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. As partners with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office, coalitions work to deploy affordable, efficient, and clean transportation; energy efficient mobility systems; and fuel-saving technologies and practices.
Study of Electric Vehicle Range Loss Associated with Replacement Tires
4/1/2024
This technical report from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) examines how replacement tires affect the range of EVs, with a goal of supplementing the EV information made available to consumers on the FuelEconomy.Gov website. The report analyzes the change in range from worn tires versus replacement tires, paying particular attention to how tire friction impacts range losses. The report also compares worn, replacement, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) tires across five EV models from different EV manufacturers. ORNL concludes that, compared to OEM tires, tire replacements reduce estimated EV range whereas worn tires increase estimated range.
Authors: C. Scott Sluder; Stacy C. Davis; Robert G. Boundy
High-Power Electric Vehicle Charging Hub Integration Platform (eCHIP): Design Guidelines and Specifications for DC Distribution-Based Charging Hub
4/1/2024
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded EVs@Scale Consortium aims to expand direct current (DC), distribution-based, high-power charging systems through eCHIP. Further, the eCHIP program seeks to develop affordable, efficient, and interoperable DC-coupled charging hubs (“DC hub”). This report provides a step-by-step analysis of the DC hub platform, including design, development, and implementation. The report also offers metrics and considerations for DC hub system design, using results from a preliminary eCHIP experiment as benchmarking.
Authors: Mithat John Kisacikoglu; Jason D. Harper; Rajendra Prasad Kandula; Alastair P. Thurlbeck; Akram Syed Ali
Advance Local Mobility Through Energy Efficient Mobility Systems Technologies
3/25/2024
Everyone deserves reliable, affordable, and safe transportation to connect people to jobs, healthcare, education, and recreation. Our transportation systems are interconnected, multimodal networks working together to move people and goods. These systems are dynamic and are being reshaped by factors such as population trends, new technologies, shifting labor models, economic forces, and changing climate. Energy efficient mobility systems (EEMS) technologies can help transportation planners ensure changes in our transportation systems are equitable and sustainable by improving energy efficiency, travel time, and affordability, as well as overall access to mobility. Transportation planners and decision makers can use the following EEMS tools and strategies to advance local mobility.
Authors: Reichelt, L.
