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The project prepared the South Florida region's communities for successful and accelerated deployment of plug-in electric vehicles and infrastructure. This project developed a plan to address technical, commercial, market and regulatory barriers to support EV infrastructure and vehicle adoption.

The project expanded on Ohio's current plug-in electric vehicle readiness activities and produce a replicable deployment plan for plug-in electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, safety trainings, consumer education, marketing, and associated policy solutions.

The Drive Electric Orlando project is a large-scale effort to address one of the core barriers to widespread plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) adoption: increasing consumer familiarity with the technology. Over the two-year project period, this project will allow thousands of visitors from across the United States to rent a PEV in Orlando. The project taps into the largest rental car market in the country by providing PEVs for a multi-day test drive. In addition to making the vehicles available, the project will use incentives such as equitable rental rates and theme park incentives to promote these rentals.

This project will expand the large and unique partnership called “DRIVE Electric USA” and add thirteen additional states to help them develop statewide, branded “Drive Electric” Programs, and provide a framework for “laboratories of EV innovation” in their states.

The objective of the project is to use empirical testing, life-cycle assessment, and systems analysis to research and demonstrate an energy productivity of goods delivery improvement with drones, delivery robots, and driverless cars of at least 20% compared to a baseline network. In addition, the research will develop proof-of-concept testing, model, and simulation for a smart curb space as an intelligently-managed urban delivery zone for improved energy productivity and sustainability, with a goal of demonstrating at least an additional 10% improvement in energy productivity.

This project will develop a replicable regional Commercial ZEV Corridor Infrastructure Deployment Plan to accelerate freight decarbonization by lowering the total cost of freight per mile by guiding the design, location, and scaling of reliable charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the right way, at the right places, and right times. The strategic planning effort will spur the deployment of commercial medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure through the development of an East Coast Commercial ZEV Corridor.

The baseline for rural transportation in Bastrop, Texas, and in many other rural communities, is the limited availability of mobility services to connect rural residents and visitors to existing rural transit and destinations within their communities. Rural communities do not have the suite of mobility options typically found in urban areas, and this is an opportunity to tailor low-speed electric vehicle (LSEV)-based mobility as a service (MaaS) to provide an affordable, practical, efficient, zero-emission, and fun way to enhance access. LSEVs use a fraction of the energy of conventional vehicles yet are capable of providing the same level of service for the intended market and service area. LSEVs run on 72 V systems that can be charged with 110 V outlets. The objective of this project is to develop, demonstrate, and refine affordable, accessible, sustainable, and replicable mobility service-enabled electric vehicle shuttle service applications in rural central Texas, supported by data collection, analysis, sharing, and public dissemination of results.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2020 Annual Report or Annual Merit Review presentation.

Pecan Street Inc. is evaluating the use of a private fleet of low-speed, six-person, electric shuttles for first- and last-mile transit connections in three Austin, Texas neighborhoods. The project aims to demonstrate the value of public-private partnerships in rapidly and cost-effectively increasing the usage of public transportation.

As of 2019, the Electric Last Mile Project has successfully tested the use of electric shuttles for eight months, providing a total of 29,206 rides. During the test period Pecan Street Inc. used surveys, individual interviews, community charrettes, and hardware installed on the vehicles to collect data on consumer engagement, vehicle performance, traffic impacts, and pricing structures. This data has resulted in a categorization chart that can be used by communities interested in using autonomous shuttles and public-private partnerships for first and last-mile transit solutions. The project also created a telematics kit that monitors vehicle operations and occupancy, a mobile trip request app and website, and laid the groundwork for future implementation of an autonomous shuttle.

This project supports electric vehicle (EV) purchases, charging station installations, and outreach efforts to notify communities of these resources. The funds will help small businesses and rural cities accelerate their transition to EVs in Missouri and Kansas. The project includes eight partner businesses and municipalities operating within Kansas and Missouri environmental justice areas, opportunity zones, and other underserved areas. The project includes deployment as well as an innovative 15% cost share "overmatch" from its eight core funding recipients, which is leveraged to implement a small grants program for underserved communities. These grant recipients will be able to define project features guiding local benefit like installing public EV charging stations in parking lots and curbsides near multifamily residential complexes and retail businesses. The small grants program will place EV charging stations within underserved or rural areas that feel the effects of environmental justice issues. Diesel emissions from heavy-duty vehicles and off-road machinery contribute to early deaths, asthma rates, and family illness, keeping people away from jobs and school. Those are just some of the health and social impacts from diesel fumes that affect the community members the Metropolitan Energy Center serves. The project launched in March 2022. To learn more about the project or available funding, contact Miriam Bouallegue.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2022 Annual Report or Annual Merit Review presentation.

The Electric Vehicle Smart program will assist local governments in setting and achieving their EV readiness goals as well as promoting equitable access to electric mobility. Four overarching project objectives drive the Recipient’s approach to maximize program impact:1. Facilitate technical assistance (TA) and designation of at least 60 EV Smart communities. 2. Prioritize key objectives identified in the Justice 40 Initiative by developing tools to support equitable access to EVs and EV charging.3. Collaboratively work with four Clean Cities Coalitions (CCCs) to provide TA across communities in Virginia, Colorado, north Texas, southern California, and continuation of Great Plain’s Institute’s (GPI) pilots in Michigan, Ohio, & Minnesota, and Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus’ (MMC) work in the Chicago area. 4. Develop and test an EV Smart Infrastructure Modeling Tool to enable local leaders and planning agencies to quickly and easily develop a sense of the EV charging infrastructure demand based on anticipated levels of EV adoption.