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Lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure is a major barrier to electric vehicle (EV) adoption although the environmental benefits of EVs are well documented. Deployment of this infrastructure should be optimized to maximize use and facilitate adoption of this new technology. Forecasting the amount and location of demand for EVSE will help utilities anticipate and plan for this new electricity load. We present a methodology to forecast the demand for public electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) and identify priority locations. This methodology uses travel behavior data from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), projections of EV ownership, and spatial data of employer (non-residential) locations. We provide a case study of EVSE deployment in the state of Vermont through 2023. We estimate that each public EVSE in Vermont will serve 0.04 EVs, and that 226 charging stations will be needed by 2023. Cumulative cost estimates of required infrastructure range from $1.6 to $4.7 million over the course of 2013-2023. We identified 40 areas in the state with significant density of EV priority employment. Although forecasting demand for the state in aggregate is helpful for budgetary reasons, planning agencies should also consider the importance of spatial coverage of EVSE, as well as potential clustering of EVs, which may cause clustering of EVSE demand.Finally, we provide a discussion of a variety of business models that can be used to fund EVSE infrastructure installation and maintenance. These models include: subscription services, fee for use, pairing EVSE with solar power, generation and sale of renewable fuel credits (RINs), and public land swaps. Innovative financing methods may allow quicker penetration of EVs and reduce the financial burden of public EVSE installation.

North American plug-in electric vehicle (EV) sales are projected to grow steadily in the next decade, and EVs are expected to become a significant portion of the vehicle feet. Widespread electrification of personal transport will require coordination between the electricity and transportation sectors. The coordination could include application of electric efficiency incentives that are commonly used in the energy sector for more efficient products, such as energy star appliances. The use of incentives for more efficient vehicles and charging equipment will facilitate a faster transition to this transformative technology. If EVs and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) are found to be eligible for incentives, electric utilities could create programs that would accelerate EV deployment. The efficiency of 120-V Level 1 and 240-V Level 2 EVSE was compared with FleetCarma logger data collected from 1,008 Chevrolet Volt charging events. On average, Level 2 charging was 3% more efficient than Level 1 charging, but this percentage increased with shorter charge times. When less than 2 kW-h was drawn from the grid, Level 2 charging was 13% more efficient than Level 1. Although Level 2 charging was more efficient at all temperatures, the differences in efficiency were greater at high (above 708F) and low (less than 538F) temperatures. The greatest efficiency gains for Level 2 charging are expected at public charging locations, where charge times tend to be shorter and weather conditions more variable, as opposed to residential sites. Providing incentives for efficient EV charging infrastructure through utility and government programs will ensure optimal long-term investment in this new technology, reduce energy use, and facilitate more rapid uptake of EVs. EV charging infrastructure is eligible for federal funding under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. Thus, transportation agencies could include efficiency benchmarks as a requirement for project financing.

The transportation sector is the greatest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, accounting for more than 30 percent of GHG emissions nationwide and well over 40 percent in many states, eclipsing emissions from the electricity sector and industry. Of these transportation emissions, approximately 59 percent come from the more than 272 million light-duty vehicles most of us drive every day. 1 Capping transportation GHG emissions and investing in programs that accelerate the just transition to clean, efficient, and affordable transportation is critical to achieving a healthier environment. Such market-based GHG emissions-reduction programs have the potential to catalyze the widespread adoption of electric