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The objectives of this project are to engage and collaborate with disadvantaged community stakeholders in the planning for, installation of, and deployment of electric vehicle chargers (EVSE) and clean mobility solutions; and from these experiences, to develop best practices for improved future electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure investments in disadvantaged communities.

The Cold-Weather Operation, Observation and Learning with Electric Vehicles (COOL EVs) project will support the deployment of four medium- and heavy-duty battery electric vehicles (EVs) in three community fleets in Minnesota. This project is strategically designed to overcome the challenges of cold weather operation, which is crucial to advance EV fleet applications. The four all-electric vehicles included in this application are two box trucks with different applications, a medium-duty passenger van, and a school bus. The fleets will share some resources, including training, technology, and project management support.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2021 Annual Report or the 2022 Annual Merit Review presentation and the 2023 Annual Merit Review presentation.

St. Louis, Missouri, is a diverse Midwestern city that has encountered a half-century of economic downturn, with its population diminishing from 850,000 to 300,000 since 1950. Additionally, with no local or state incentives for electric vehicles (EVs), access to both EVs and charging infrastructure has been limited. The overall goal of the St. Louis Vehicle Electrification Rides for Seniors (SiLVERS) project is to increase EV adoption and reduce transportation-related operating expenses for social service agencies in low-income communities. The project seeks to increase EV adoption by validating that EV fleets can save social service agencies money on transportation operation costs while improving service delivery, providing access to electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for employees and community members, and developing tools and best practices for use by community-based organizations and social service agencies nationwide, allowing them to replicate this approach.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2021 Annual Report or the 2022 Annual Merit Review presentation and the 2023 Annual Merit Review presentation.

The Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) aims to support the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles and establish new compressed natural gas, propane, and electric alternative fueling infrastructure on major travel corridors in Kansas and Missouri. The new alternative fueling infrastructure will fill crucial gaps along major shipping corridors and help overcome a significant barrier to alternative fuel vehicle adoption.

As of 2019, MEC and its project partners have developed one propane station and one 12-stall electric charging station, conducted four workshops, converted 5 gasoline trucks to CNG, and replaced eighteen diesel trucks and four diesel shuttles with natural gas vehicles. The workshops serve to connect stakeholder with resources, build community support for projects, and identify potential partners for future alternative fuel vehicle adoption. The project will also generate best practices documents, case studies, and deployment guides to leverage community-based business and community relationships to accelerate adoption and awareness of alternative fuels.

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.

EVZion demonstrates a small-scale, environmentally sound, zero-emission, electric vehicle shuttle system through a small gateway community and the east entrance of Zion National Park (ZNP). This high-tech, electric shuttle pilot and demonstration project involves national laboratory data collection, industry partner road testing in extreme climate fluctuations, and local community leadership. This nationally recognized project is intended to support the sustainability goals of ZNP along with the economic and environmental resilience objectives of rural gateway communities. EVZion is designed for universal scalability with deployment in other high-traffic, environmentally sensitive national and state parks throughout the United States. This pilot proposes positive strategies and smart mobility solutions through the design of an electrified and resilient park touring transportation system.

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

The goal of DRIVE Electric USA (DEUSA) is to greatly accelerate statewide, state-led "Drive Electric" initiatives in multiple states by educating consumers, utilities, utility regulators, and government officials; engaging auto dealers and fleet leaders; conducting EV infrastructure planning; and developing local EV chapters. All of this is occurring under the banner of branded, statewide EV initiatives, guided by each state's stakeholders. DEUSA is creating a Replication Playbook based on outputs and lessons learned that incorporates results from the project work and highlights specific successes from all the participating states. The project conducts EV infrastructure planning sessions for corridors and urban and rural areas, including a focus on disadvantaged and limited-income communities, builds relationships with dozens of utilities and utility regulators, and creates incentives and investment opportunities.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2021 Annual Report or the 2022 Annual Merit Review presentation and the 2023 Annual Merit Review presentation.

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 overall goal of the Affordable Mobility Platform (AMP) project is to reduce the barriers to mobility options and electric vehicle (EV) adoption facing underserved communities, particularly residents of affordable housing. The project will demonstrate that shared EVs can become valuable, highly utilized, and self-sustaining community transportation assets where the needs of employees and residents of affordable housing developments are served by the same shared vehicles. Along with the deployment of EVs and EV infrastructure, AMP will conduct data analysis, education, and outreach that leverages real-world observations and lessons learned collected from these communities over the course of the project.

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

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.