The purpose of this project was to develop a regionally accepted Plan for the San Joaquin Valley that would help prepare the region for plug-in electric vehicle PEV adoption. The Plan provides a foundation for PEV readiness, including electric vehicle supply equipment planning, and addresses barriers to PEV adoption that are unique to the Valley through best practices and recommendations. The Plan serves as a tool to support local government officials, including planners, code officials and building inspectors when planning for PEV and charging infrastructure deployment, and to assist local policymakers and regional stakeholders in addressing the complexities behind barriers to PEV adoption in the region.
In order to maximize the Plan’s effectiveness, an advisory group of regional stakeholders from public agencies, local energy utilities and charging station manufacturers was organized as the San Joaquin Valley Plug-in Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council. The Council used the results of a previous PEV Readiness assessment and prioritized 11 market barriers to the deployment of PEVs and public charging infrastructure specific to the region. The Council provided guidance and real-world input that was used to develop many of the recommendations in the Plan. In addition, the Council participated in coordinated outreach efforts to efficiently and effectively communicate best practices to local jurisdictions and multiple stakeholders involved in PEV readiness throughout the region.
The Plan recognizes that, in addition to the barriers found throughout the state, the Valley endures additional barriers due to its unique geographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Currently, the PEV adoption rate in the Valley only represents approximately two percent of the California PEV market. The Valley’s socioeconomic diversity, vast rural regions between major metropolitan areas, and longer-than-average commute distances are some of the main contributing factors to the low adoption rate. While there are clearly early adopters in the region, the large number of disadvantaged communities poses unique challenges to PEV adoption in much of the region and precludes a one-size-fits-all approach. On the road ahead, the economic and environmental benefits of PEVs must be emphasized to the diverse communities in the Valley.
