The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act have put a lot of money on the table for deploying charging stations and incentivizing EV purchases. Local governments will play a large role in ensuring that the funds are invested effectively. 

To help government agencies get their share of the bounty (and use it wisely), the Electrification Coalition has released the Local Government Playbook, which includes recommendations for how municipalities can leverage federal investments in EV infrastructure. It provides a checklist of actions and strategies for local governments, including best practices, innovative policy approaches and lessons from previous charging deployments.

Topics covered include state and regional planning, stakeholder engagement, community engagement and site planning. In particular, the Local Government Playbook emphasizes the importance of taking a government-wide approach to charging deployment. For example, the report recommends that officials bring local departments together to create a separate EV Charging Permit. It also emphasizes the importance of stakeholder and community engagement throughout deployment.

“Municipalities stand to benefit significantly from transportation electrification, but they must be prepared to leverage this funding,” said Chris Bast, Director of EV Infrastructure Investments at the Electrification Coalition. “We hope they utilize the Local Government Playbook as a resource to maximize this historic opportunity.”

Source: Electrification Coalition