INDOT releases final draft of electric vehicle infrastructure plan, equity alliance still has concerns

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) released the final draft of its electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plan July 20. The draft explains the intended locations of the charging stations throughout the state and explanations of INDOT’s goals, civil rights and equity requirements, implementation considerations and public engagement in the selection process. The state currently has […] The post INDOT releases final draft of electric vehicle infrastructure plan, equity alliance still has concerns appeared first on Indianapolis Recorder.

INDOT releases final draft of electric vehicle infrastructure plan, equity alliance still has concerns
The Indiana Department of Transportation released the final draft of the electric vehicle deployment plan July 20, 2022. (Screenshot from INDOT’s final draft)

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) released the final draft of its electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plan July 20.

The draft explains the intended locations of the charging stations throughout the state and explanations of INDOT’s goals, civil rights and equity requirements, implementation considerations and public engagement in the selection process.

The state currently has 325 public charging stations and 892 charging outlets. Among them, only four stations meet the requirements of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. Beginning in late 2022, the state is planning to install eight charging stations around Indianapolis and three in the neighboring cities of Brownsburg, Whitestown and Carmel. The department also plans to deploy charging stations in many of the larger cities throughout Indiana, such as Gary, Kokomo, South Bend, New Haven, Seymour and Evansville.

One of INDOT’s goals, as stated in the draft, is to eliminate “range anxiety” for electric vehicle users by making sure all of Indiana’s population is within 40 miles of an electric charging station and 50 miles of an alternative fuel corridor — sites that are strategically located to meet the need for alternative fuel sources.

Currently the four NEVI-compliant stations that are within the 50-mile driving range are located in Central Indiana. INDOT plans to prioritize filling in the 50-mile range gaps with NEVI-compliant stations throughout the state.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which was signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021, will provide Indiana with $100 million to deploy electric vehicle charging stations over the next five years. The NEVI program, which is part of the BIL, was created to increase the accessibility and reliability of charging stations.

More: Black alliance created to ensure Indiana’s electric vehicle deployment plan is equitable

The draft came less than two weeks before the submission deadline, Aug. 1, when the draft must be sent to the U.S. Department of Energy and Transportation for review and approval.

INDOT said it does not anticipate making any substantial changes to the draft, but it may make edits and improvements based on public feedback. Any changes to the draft prior to the final submission will be on INDOT’s website.

Provide comment at in.gov/indot.

The Indiana Alliance for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Economic Opportunities — a coalition created to ensure the electric vehicle deployment process is equitable — has concerns with INDOT’s drafting process.

Rev. Tony Alexander, a member of the alliance and the economic committee chair for Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, said he had concerns with INDOT’s initial planning, transparency and public engagement with the Black community and the general public in Indiana.

“They should have done more outreach throughout the state,” he said. “Everything done upfront was just done to check boxes. The public is still confused as to really where they are going to be located.”

Alexander said he did not have an issue with the final draft itself.

Denise Abdul-Rahman, creator of the alliance, said INDOT should have had more community engagement with ethnically diverse and disadvantaged communities.

Abdul-Rahman, who is also the NAACP state chair of the environmental and climate justice, said the alliance is asking for INDOT to increase the diversity of the working group involved with deploying the charging stations by adding a representative chosen by the alliance.

She said the draft had no identifiable EV charging station locations in ethnically diverse areas.

INDOT’s deputy chief of staff, Scott Manning, said “the plan reflects months of data analysis and thoughtful engagement with stakeholders across Indiana,” including the alliance.

INDOT is planning to keep the public comment form on the draft open until Aug. 20. The federal Joint Office of Energy and Transportation anticipates completing the review by Sept. 30, according to INDOT. The plan will be updated yearly through the lifetime of the NEVI program.

Contact religion reporter Abriana Herron at 317-924-5243. Follow her on Twitter @Abri_onyai. Herron is a Report for America corps member and writes about the role of Black churches in the community.

The post INDOT releases final draft of electric vehicle infrastructure plan, equity alliance still has concerns appeared first on Indianapolis Recorder.