EV station map shows charging gaps
Connecting state and local government leaders
The data-driven map will help city planners determine the most strategic placement of charging stations to support the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
To help the nation transition to electric vehicles, transportation analytics company StreetLight Data has unveiled a new dashboard to inform the planning and rollout of EV charging stations across the U.S. As noted in the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill, a nationwide network of charging stations is crucial to ensuring that EVs are a viable option for Americans.
Transportation planners and city officials can use the dashboard to see gaps in the existing public charging network. Users can filter the data to show Level 2 networks for recharging vehicles over longer time periods or super-fast Level 3 charging networks. They can also see how the data addresses policy goals of promoting charging stations for existing EV drivers, encouraging EV adoption for lower-income populations, remediating air quality or facilitating commercial EV trucking.
“The map of EV Charger deployment can vary widely depending on what we want to achieve with these tax-payer supported stations,” StreetLight CEO Laura Schewel said. “We want policymakers and practitioners to be aware of these differences, and to make data-driven choices at the outset of this massive investment.”
StreetLight’s interactive dashboard is based on the company’s vehicle travel data, demographics, existing charging station deployment and EV adoption data, trucking travel data, and environmental information. City planners can use this information to develop policies for furthering transportation equity and leveraging new, green technologies.
“A first of its kind tool, our simple to use EV charging dashboard will help more effectively deploy infrastructure dollars today and inform the cleaner and more equitable transportation ecosystem of our future,” Schewel said.
Earlier this year, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced an open-source modeling tool to help regional infrastructure planners decide when and where to place charging stations alongside interstate highways to support intercity public charging infrastructure.
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