Webinar Recap: All Charged Up — Exploring Effective State EV Charging Policy

Transportation is the highest emitting sector for greenhouse gases in the United States. Light-duty vehicles are the largest source of these emissions, making the transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles critical for reaching climate goals. Amidst federal rollbacks on EV policies and incentives, states will be essential in securing a cleaner, smarter transportation future. One of the main challenges to electrifying the transportation sector lies in the deployment of accessible, reliable EV charging infrastructure at home and on the go. 

Climate XChange and Plug In America co-hosted a webinar exploring how states can expand EV charging infrastructure across the country. Our policy experts reviewed effective approaches to both home and public EV charging, the interplay between federal and state EV charging programs, and lessons for states looking to design and implement equitable, effective EV charging policy. Our speakers included:

• Jordan Gerow, Policy & Research Director at Climate XChange
• Alexia Melendez Martineau,  Senior Policy Manager at Plug In America
• Jess Senger, Policy Research Associate at Plug In America

Setting the Stage: The Importance of State EV Charging Policy Now

Learn more by watching the webinar at 05:54

Jordan Gerow from Climate XChange provided a brief overview of why state-level action on EV charging is essential right now, given federal backsliding and attacks on existing state-level policies across the clean transportation sector. His presentation covered the following topics:

• Since January, there have been a slew of federal clean transportation rollbacks and attacks on state EV policy, including:
  • Rescission of California’s waivers for vehicle emissions standards through the Congressional Review Act, which is still being contested in court.
  • Phaseouts of federal tax credits for new and used EVs, and for commercial clean vehicles, through the budget reconciliation bill.
  • Reconsideration of federal vehicle emissions standards, including the Multi-Pollutant Rule, Heavy-Duty Vehicles Phase 3 Rule, and Heavy-Duty NOx rule by EPA.
  • Proposal for significant rollbacks in federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards by NHTSA.
• States can take many actions to fill the gaps on federal clean transportation rollbacks, including tax incentives and rebates for EVs and chargers, government procurement of EVs for public fleets, low carbon fuel standards, and indirect source review.
• Even in the potential absence of state and federal EV mandates, state policy that supports the buildout of the EV charging network will help bolster EV uptake, as the all-in cost of EV ownership nears (and is often lower than) the cost of gas-powered vehicles.

The Federal EV Charging Landscape

Learn more by watching the webinar at 17:00

After a primer on the basics of EV charging (14:05 of the webinar), Alexia Melendez Martineau and Jess Senger from Plug In America laid out some key aspects of the federal EV charging landscape, including:

• The National EV Infrastructure (NEVI) Program, which provides $7.5b to build out the national EV charging network along highways and has funded 96 operational stations across 17 states to date.
  • For more information on planned and operational charging stations funded by the NEVI Program, see Plug In America’s NEVI Tracker Map.
• The federal EV Charging Tax Credits, which apply to new EV chargers that are operational by June 30, 2026, and are installed in eligible non-urban or low-income census tracts.

State and Local Initiatives for Public and Multifamily EV Charging

Learn more by watching the webinar at 23:38

Alexia and Jess highlighted the types of policy solutions available to advance EV charging, alongside state and local examples of these policies in action. They also spotlighted charging solutions for multifamily housing.

• EV charging policy solutions include:
  • Right-to-charge policies, which ensure the right to install an EV charging station regardless of where you live, an especially important tool for expanding access to charging for those living in multifamily housing (MFH). 
  • EV-friendly building codes, which set minimum requirements for EV charging equipment through building design and help expand charging infrastructure in larger buildings, such as MFH, workplaces, and commercial properties. 
  • Funding for EV charging infrastructure, which financially supports the buildout of charging equipment throughout the state.
  • Streamlined EV charger permitting, which simplifies complicated permitting processes to reduce delays and costs in installing charging infrastructure.  
  • Innovative designs, including curbside charging that leverages existing city infrastructure like streetlights and power poles to support charging with underused capacity, as well as bring-your-own cord solutions which allow drivers to use their own cables and reduce station costs, sidewalk clutter, and potential damage.
• Examples of state and local EV charging policies include:
  • Right to charge policies in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, and Oregon, which protect both owners and renters.
    • Colorado’s policy ensures that common-interest communities give residents a “meaningful opportunity” to adopt plug-in vehicles through strong policy language and financial support and encouraging communities to seek state EV funds.
    • Illinois’ policy asserts that all owners and renters, regardless of parking ownership or income, should have access to EV charging, and requires that a substantial share of parking spaces in new or renovated residential developments be EV-capable.
  • Innovative curbside charging solutions in Los Angeles (CA), Oak Park (IL), Kansas City (MO), San Francisco (CA), New York City (NY), Boston (MA), Detroit (MI), and Jersey City (NJ). 
    • New York is partnering with Voltpost to convert lampposts into lamppost EV chargers. New York is also home to it’s electric, which utilizes the bring-your-own-cord model for EV charging and offers flexibility with charging connector type and siting options. 
    • Los Angeles partnered with FLO to install EV chargers on streetlights. 
  • Funding for EV charging through California’s Clean Transportation Program, which is authorized through legislation and supported by vehicle registration fees. Highlighted example programs include Communities in Charge and Rural Electric Vehicle Charging 2.0.
• For a deeper dive on charging solutions for multifamily housing, visit Plug In America’s Affordable and Convenient Access to EV Charging Toolkit, which features: 
  • 20 case studies of EV charging programs;
  • A filterable case study matrix containing qualitative and quantitative data;
  • A map of dozens of charging solutions; and
  • A resource with best practices for states, cities, community groups, utilities, and companies.

For more information on accelerating the switch to EVs and e-mobility through state, local, and utility policy, explore the AchiEVe Policy Toolkit, released by Plug In America, the Sierra Club, the Electrification Coalition, and Forth. 

Q&A

Watch the Q&A at 48:05 to hear insights on funding mechanisms for EV charging programs, more details on streetlight charging, maintaining charging equipment reliability, and more.