Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities, hosted by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), have launched a new designation program, Charging Smart, that awards communities for electric vehicle (EV) readiness. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office, the program provides personalized, no-cost technical assistance to help municipalities set and achieve policies that facilitate the equitable expansion of EVs and EV charging in their communities. Local governments that achieve certain metrics are awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold designations in public recognition of their status as EV-friendly communities.

NCTCOG Principal Air Quality Planner Amy Hodges says, “Dallas-Fort Worth has seen tremendous growth in the number of electric vehicles on the road in recent years. In the last 12 months, the number of EVs registered in the region increased by about 50 percent. As more residents choose to adopt EVs in the future, a public charging network to meet the anticipated demand becomes more critical. Through the best practices and processes provided in the Charging Smart program, North Texas communities can ultimately save time and reduce costs in their efforts to provide EV charging to all residents. We are happy to be working with IREC to bring this timely program to our region.”

The pilot phase for local governments is being staged in North Texas and three other states. A few more are already engaged in the developmental phase, and communities from one of them are expected to become the first Charging Smart designated cohort later this spring. Charging Smart will be made available throughout the country in the future.

For more information, email [email protected] or visit ChargingSmart.org.