Project Lessons: Rural Transportation

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) has funded multiple projects in rural communities for both electric vehicles (EVs) and other clean transportation technologies. VTO reviewed project outcomes and conducted interviews with project staff to highlight lessons learned and to identify opportunities for greater project efficiency and success. Others embarking on similar projects can take into account the key considerations summarized below, which discuss best practices for engaging stakeholders, strategies for improving the equitable distribution of project benefits, site selection factors, and permitting/policy elements that could impact the project.

Project Objective

Achieving a high level of decarbonization relies on EVs and other clean transportation vehicles and infrastructure deployed beyond urban environments. Rural communities face different challenges than urban and suburban communities such as longer commutes, little or no public transportation, potential lower utilization of alternative fueling infrastructure, and limited county and local government staff available to dedicate time to clean transportation projects. Technical assistance projects can help mitigate these issues, and lessons learned were derived from multiple projects.

Past Funded Projects

Project Considerations

Key considerations for rural transportation projects recommended from previously funded project teams are divided into several topics and provided below.

General

  • Rural residents typically drive longer distances daily and have a higher energy burden than suburban and urban residents.
  • While EVs are a primary topic, they may not be the best option for all locations. Be fuel neutral for clean transportation options when presenting education and opportunities to rural communities.
  • Focus on benefits of alternative fuel vehicles and EVs such as lower fuel use and maintenance costs instead of environmental benefits or mandates.
  • Rural dealerships have low inventory in general and often do not have EV models available to see and test drive.
  • Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are a good option for rural residents, offering a balance to bridge the gap on range and reliability of charging infrastructure.
    • One project compared sales of various EVs in rural and urban areas of their state and found PHEVs sold at a higher rate in rural communities.

Developing Partnerships

  • Rural municipalities often have limited staff and may not have much time to dedicate to a project—partner with rural municipalities with adequate staff capacity to dedicate to the project or incorporate additional municipal staff in the project budget.
  • Successful projects often have a local county or elected official who champions the project. This leads to increased commitment from local organizations and increased engagement from the community, which enhances both progress and success.
  • EV projects were more successful when the rural electric cooperative or utility were involved. Be mindful that rural utilities may have less staff than utilities serving urban areas.
  • Partners that don’t represent rural communities, lack experience with rural communities, or have no resources/staff local to the project, had difficulties connecting with rural audiences.

Outreach & Engagement

  • Many projects underestimated the time and funding needed to conduct rural outreach.
  • Project teams found greater difficulty developing new relationships in rural communities than suburban or urban communities.
  • State energy, or similar state, offices or past project staff may be able to assist with introductions. Work with organizations or individuals known to the communities of interest.
  • Work with local outreach organizations embedded in the target community.
  • Consider hiring an outreach staff member located in a rural community.
  • Connections with organizations that have worked in the community in the past yielded a higher level of trust. Connect a new project to previous Clean Cities and Communities work in the same area.
  • Peer to peer engagement works best; having an early adopter from a similar community is a big asset. Take advantage of those relationships and connect early adopters with their rural peers to foster understanding.
    • Example: A rural police chief explains the benefits of fuel and maintenance savings of their EV police fleet.
    • Example: A rural school bus manager shares advantages of propane.
  • Sustained investment to provide resources, project assistance, and a contact is necessary for progress in ongoing relationships. Communities need to see that partners aren’t dropping in and out for a project but are building lasting support and impact.
  • Social media was not a successful method for outreach except for groups already interested in alternative vehicles.
  • Local newspapers and radio were more successful than other outreach methods in reaching higher numbers of the target audience.
  • Know if other languages are prevalent in the project communities and develop multilingual engagement documents, media, and websites.
  • Place project advertisements at local transit stops.
  • Establish relationships with the electric rural cooperatives and utilities for EV projects.

Events

  • For municipal and local government events:
    • Co-locate technical assistance events and clean transportation demonstrations at events attended by rural staff and decision makers.
    • Locating a technical assistance and/or ride and drive event within 1.5 hours of targeted communities resulted in better attendance.
    • Original equipment manufacturers have limited demonstration vehicles, and it is costly to transport them to rural locations; co-location reduces costs where multiple municipalities can participate.
    • Provide basic EV information as some communities have not had any exposure or education.
  • For consumer events:
    • Co-locate consumer ride and drives and clean transportation demos at existing events that draw large numbers of people from targeted communities such as county fairs and school events.
      • Consider showcasing electric bikes, shuttles, and other related mobility options. One project reported reaching a wider audience by including electric bikes, motorcycles, and camper vans.
    • Local newspaper and radio advertisements were more effective than social media.
    • For projects showcasing EVs, project teams found increased engagement from having local EV enthusiasts bring their vehicles to community events and share their experience.
  • Virtual events were generally not well attended.

EV Charging Infrastructure

  • Locate EV charging in towns near the interstate or other heavily traveled roads to increase utilization and improve economic performance.
  • Site rural EV charging adjacent to interstates, U.S. highways, state roads, and other busy roads to increase utilization.
  • Consider internet/cellular network availability when siting EV charging in rural areas.
  • Select flexible EV charging infrastructure—one project selected infrastructure that could be networked or non-networked to provide flexibility to site hosts when the project transferred station ownership.
  • Include private small fleets in rural EV infrastructure planning to ensure it meets their needs.

Rural Transit and Fleets

  • Rural fleets are small. Projects should identify multiple fleets and investigate the opportunity for shared fueling and charging infrastructure.
    • Small fleets were hesitant with high upfront costs.
  • Fleet vehicle and fuel data may be more limited.
  • Establishing public transit in an area without existing options requires determining who will own/operate/insure vehicles.
    • One project reported that the cost to insure the same vehicle in a rural area was higher than in a nearby city.
  • Projects found that transit shuttle buses were largely used for on-demand transportation (76%) versus fixed routes (14%) while some operated in a hybrid of fixed and on-demand.
  • Fixed route public transit:
    • Fixed route transit may not be cost effective or sufficient for rural communities due to dispersed locations and the number of riders.
    • Test public transit EV shuttle or bus on shortest route first to learn more about the vehicle’s real-world performance and range in a community’s climate.
    • Mid-route charging may not be possible due to long rural routes for fixed or on-demand public transit.
  • Several projects considered on-demand shared transit rather than fixed route:
    • On-demand shared transit may be a more viable option since flexible transit outperforms fixed-route when demand density falls below 50 customers per square mile per hour.
    • On-demand shared transit benefit residents when reservations are an option that reduces waiting time.
    • Some communities found this option best for after work hours to run errands, get groceries, and make appointments. Consider hours of operation that best serve the community.
    • Survey results of rural shared shuttle service found lower income households of $50,000 or less and younger residents were more likely to use the service than higher income brackets or older residents.
    • Low speed open air EVs are a low-cost option suitable for warmer climates and efficient for locating passengers and getting in and out of the vehicle.
    • One project planned to implement a volunteer service for first-mile/last-mile shared transit but found it was not possible due to liability and insurance reasons.
    • Rural addresses may have different access points than indicated by online mapping systems, which can be less reliable with rural addresses. This can cause confusion and delays in determining pick up and drop off locations.
    • Using an app for access may impact rural residents without internet service.
    • Safety of rural transit drivers can be a concern when cell service or navigation accuracy is lacking.

EV School Buses

School buses, especially electric school buses, present both opportunities and challenges:

  • Incremental cost presented the biggest barrier. Without grant programs, it would not have been possible for some communities to purchase electric school buses.
  • Understand scrappage issues and how they relate to grants as small school districts often keep older buses as spares for maintenance; EPA Clean School Bus Program has addressed this issue.
  • School bus routes are long in rural areas. Project teams recommend testing electric school buses on the shortest route first to learn more about the vehicle’s real-world performance and range in a community’s climate.
  • It is not unusual for a school bus driver to keep the bus at their home overnight. Consider how to charge these buses.
  • Ride and drive events likely cannot include students due to regulations and insurance.
  • Operational electric school bus data are relatively limited. As these vehicles have been introduced, data agreements between utility funders and school districts are common, which limits public access to vehicle-in-use data.
  • Reach out to both the school district transportation director and superintendent with electric school bus information while scoping projects to identify a project champion.

Funding

  • Rural communities need technical assistance to identify funding opportunities.
  • These communities do not typically have grant writers or funds to afford this type of assistance. Identify resources to assist with writing grants.
  • Rural communities need ideas and solutions for overcoming high up-front costs for clean transportation options.

Other

  • Project teams found that communities needed assistance in evaluating bids for charging infrastructure and installation. This was particularly true for those who did not receive project assistance from their electric cooperative or utility.
  • First-mile/last-mile services can potentially improve system efficiency and accessibility.
  • A rural demonstration of autonomous vehicles found challenges in navigating non-standard geometry, blind hills, and gravel roads that lack center lines. Increased speed limit signage is also needed to accommodate this technology in the rural environment.

Resources