By Colin Rowan, Director of Strategy and Communication, Pecan Street Inc.

It looks like we might have an infrastructure deal, after all. There are still miles and miles to go in what will be a marathon of negotiations, but it is nice to see some movement on what could be a huge spark for the electric vehicle market.

Speaking selfishly, the timing couldn’t be better. When news of the potential deal broke last week, we were putting the finishing touches on a paper about the key principles the Biden administration’s electric vehicle charging strategy should follow to maximize the impact its investment will have on EV adoption.

The paper, Sparking EV America is available on our website now and outlines our best recommendations to the administration.

A good deal of follow-up coverage about the infrastructure deal will focus on political negotiations. Still, we hope some of these concepts will find their way into the public discussion about “what comes next” for a national EV charging plan. Funding is critical, of course. But how that money is spent will be just as important, especially if we want the investment to have a lasting impact on EV adoption. And details, so far, have been scarce.

Our recommendations include some familiar areas, but some new ones, too, like America’s pending circuit panel crisis.

  • hardwiring emission and equity goals into every funding decision
  • prioritizing road-trip charging
  • revamping customer incentives (rebates, tax credits, etc.)
  • expanding beyond single-family homeowners
  • addressing the pending residential circuit panel crisis
  • addressing “invisible infrastructure” issues, like utility rates, smart charging policies, data accessibility, and hardware compatibility.