Is your community EV ready?

An estimated 45% of new car sales are expected to be electric in 2035.

As the movement to electric vehicles accelerates, we are seeing three types of community responses:

Wait and see: let the ‘free’ market advance the adoption of EVs
Tactical experimentation: beginning to adopt projects without a strategy or coordination
Narrowly strategic: Seeking to honor Greenhouse Gas and Sustainable Development Goals but more focused on vehicle fleets and less on resident opportunity and impact

While each response has its advantages, we think a more coordinated approach that assesses impacts on people, place, government, and industry can provide a smoother transition at the front end that yields longer term financial and environmental benefits over time.

Fourth Economy can guide communities in planning for an EV future that benefits people, place, and planet.

Four questions to consider

Are residents making the change and how will this impact equity in my
community?

Does my community have
the private and public infra- structure to support electric vehicles?

Is government planning for changes including
reduction of gas taxes, land use, and zoning?

What are the new jobs that
will be created and which
may go away?

Our Road to
Electric Vehicle
Readiness Assessment
considers four
areas communities should prepare for to
realize the full
benefits of an EV
future.

People

How might you best set a table to help prepare for electric vehicle adoption and lessen disruption?

What are resident attitudes towards electric vehicles?

Are incentives to adopt EVs disproportionately benefiting more advantaged groups?

How might your community support EV adoption in low-income communities?

Government

Are electric vehicles a part
of your comprehensive plan?

Are you offering incentives for adoption, building public infrastructure, or waiting for the private market?

What will happen if gas taxes start to decrease - how will those funds be replaced?

How can your community

create public-private

partnerships to accelerate adoption and infrastructure build-out?

Place

Are residents able to access or implement the required infrastructure zoning codes?

Do you have EV infrastructure to support tourists and other transient populations?

Have you considered how on-street charging infrastructure will impact your streetscapes and sidewalks?

Is there location equity in how electric vehicles are adopted in your community?

Industry/Workforce

How many jobs in your
community are part of the
combustion engine supply
chain and therefore need to
evolve?

Are your minority and small business owners able to adopt EV Fleets, what barriers do they face?

What is the full range of
new business opportunities
that will be created with
more EVs on the road?

Is my community prepared
to capture new expansion
opportunities as EV
manufacturing continues to
invest domestically?

Get in touch to find out more about our
assessment and planning capabilities

Fourth Economy is an economic development consultancy that uses analysis and engagement to help communities become more equitable, strategic, and resilient.

Want to know more? Get in touch!

A

Company

Fourth Economy is part of Steer, a global leader in infrastructure and transportation planning. Since 1978, the firm has provided pioneering planning, design, and advisory services to government and business – with a particular focus on projects that develop cities, infrastructure, and transportation.

Fourth Economy’s partnership with Steer allows us to offer a comprehensive approach that embraces people, skills, enterprise, infrastructure, mobility, and innovation.