Electrification Coalition Releases EV Policy Toolkit for Cities

Aug. 30, 2021

Contact: Julie Sutor, Communications Director

Electrification Coalition Releases EV Policy Toolkit for Cities

New guide provides top policies to advance electric vehicle adoption at the municipal level

WASHINGTON – The Electrification Coalition released a new guide for cities on Monday, outlining a suite of policies that will accelerate the electrification of transportation in their communities. “Electrifying Transportation in Municipalities” identifies the most effective policy levers that cities, towns and counties can use to expand charging infrastructure, transition fleets to electric vehicles and support EV adoption by consumers.

“The transition to an electrified transportation future requires a mix of policies and actions at the federal, state and local levels,” said Ben Prochazka, executive director of the Electrification Coalition. “Cities and counties have been laboratories of innovation, and they remain essential to widespread EV deployment. This collection of policies harnesses proven strategies and lays out opportunities for future action that will help them to continue to lead.”

“Increasing electric vehicle use is a crucial strategy not only for reducing emissions, but also for improving air quality and public health,” said Kelly Shultz, lead for sustainable cities and the American Cities Climate Challenge at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This toolkit will help further the substantial progress made by local leaders through the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge—and raise the bar for what’s possible on vehicle electrification in the United States.”

The guide identifies a set of essential EV policies that local governments can enact to electrify their own municipal and transit fleets and accelerate EV adoption in the communities they serve. It is designed to galvanize local policymakers and EV advocates in cities, towns, counties, metropolitan planning organizations, utilities, air quality districts, environmental health agencies, public works departments, and transit agencies.

“The City of Pittsburgh is committed to converting its fleet to fossil-fuel-free and reducing tailpipe emissions citywide and has made great strides over the past few years through the support of Electrification Coalition and the American Cities Climate Challenge,” Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto said. “This comprehensive toolkit is a fantastic policy guide for cities like ours to prepare for and lead the shift to electrified transportation.”

“As Mayor of New Mexico’s largest metro area, I understand how important it is for cities to lead by example in tackling transportation emissions,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said. “From pushing for statewide and nationwide policy change to making bold choices in our own procurement and investments, we are using every tool in our toolbelt to improve air quality and public health and help our local community fight climate change here at home.”

“Electrifying Transportation in Municipalities” outlines policies in five categories: charging infrastructure, multi-sector electrification, freight, fleet electrification and consumer adoption. The toolkit provides an assessment of each policy’s greenhouse gas emissions reductions, public health benefits, equity benefits and job creation opportunities. It also offers guidance on cost considerations, political obstacles and key stakeholders. Real-world examples illustrate these policies in action, at the local, state, utility, and federal levels.

“The City of Orlando is excited to see this resource published because of the impactful work that local governments are leading through the American Cities Climate Challenge.” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “In Orlando, we have led the country with innovative EV policies and programs, many of which are outlined in this toolkit – including launching one of the nation’s first EV rental car programs; the passage of our EV Readiness Code for new construction; and our significant investments in public EV infrastructure to ensure equitable and reliable charging is available to all residents. We encourage our fellow cities across the country to use this as a policy guide to a sustainable future.”

The policy toolkit is a comprehensive resource for policymakers and advocates, opening the door to a wide range of strategies that can be tailored to the needs of each community. By compiling the full range of EV policy strategies and distilling the latest research and resources, the toolkit streamlines the policy research process for decisionmakers, from the country’s largest cities to its smallest rural towns.

“Cincinnati has worked to rapidly deploy EVs in our city fleet and expand opportunities for local businesses and organizations to accelerate their EV adoption,” said Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. “As a result, EVs and the infrastructure required to power them are changing our city’s landscape for the better. This EV policy toolkit provides every city with the information they will need to electrify their communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions like we are doing here locally.”

The Policy Toolkit was generously supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and highlights policy actions already taken in many of the leadership cities that are part of the American Cities Climate Challenge cities. The toolkit is available to the public at no cost.

“Reducing tailpipe emissions is a prioritized climate action strategy for San Antonio, and city-level policies to advance EV deployment and adoption are important to our success. This guide is a great resource for cities like ours as we work to expand the availability of charging infrastructure in the community, electrify our municipal fleet, and make it easier for folks in our community to choose electric,” said San Antonio Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer Julia Murphy.

“Denver is a leader in electric vehicle commitments, including passing EV Ready building codes and having strong EV requirements for city fleet vehicles,” said Mike Salisbury, Transportation Energy Lead, Denver Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency. “We look forward to using this resource, learning from our fellow cities and advancing electrification efforts with innovative policy solutions.”

“The City of Atlanta is a prime example of how local governments can scale proven policies and program models, especially when it comes to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles,” said John R Seydel, Director of Sustainability, City of Atlanta, Mayor’s Office of Resilience. “Accelerating the transition to electric vehicles is critical not just to achieving Atlanta’s climate emissions goals, but also for protecting the overall health and air quality in our community. Our historic EV readiness ordinance was originally inspired by case studies from other early adopter communities, so we realize the value of vital resources such as the EV Policy Toolkit. While our EV Readiness workbook created a comprehensive guide to going beyond compliance of our ordinance, our EV lease-to-purchase program and resolution showed a more flexible finance model that added more than 55 EV’s to our fleet permanently. We look forward to working with other communities to scale this work even further.”

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About the Electrification Coalition: The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes policies and actions to facilitate the widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) on a mass scale in order to overcome the economic, public health and national security challenges that stem from America’s dependence on oil. For more information, visit electrificationcoalition.org.

About American Cities Climate Challenge: Launched in 2018, the American Cities Climate Challenge provides powerful resources and support to 25 U.S. mayors as they accelerate climate action, using a holistic approach that focuses on clean buildings and transportation.

Amy Malaki

Amy Malaki is the Director of Partnerships and Policy at SkyNRG and SkyNRG Americas, pioneering global leaders in sustainable aviation fuel production and supply. Prior to SkyNRG, Amy was the Associate Director for the transportation portfolio at the ClimateWorks Foundation where she developed philanthropic investment strategies to advance a sustainable, equitable and low-carbon mobility system. She also pioneered the organization’s international aviation decarbonization strategy. Prior to that she focused on Asia business development at Better Place, a Silicon Valley electric vehicle network startup. She has a B.A. in Chinese and China studies from the University of Washington and an M.A. in international policy studies (energy and environment) from Stanford University.