What’s Happening: Volta Inc. has announced a new feature on its infrastructure planning solution, PredictEV, that will assist state and local governments in identifying optimal locations for electric vehicle (EV) chargers to maximize convenience and utilization for disadvantaged community (DAC) residents. The feature analyzes the most popular vehicular travel routes of residents from DACs and is aimed at ensuring that infrastructure funds are efficiently spent and applications for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program are competitive.
Why It Matters: The limited availability of at-home charging has made the placement of EV chargers in highly-trafficked areas within DACs critical to accelerating EV adoption in these regions. Volta’s PredictEV offers a data-driven solution to precisely identify the optimal locations for chargers, maximizing convenience and utilization for DAC residents.
Key Points:
- PredictEV is an advanced infrastructure planning solution that uses data from disparate sources to analyze expected EV adoption, optimal charger locations, and the right mix of charging infrastructure.
- Its recent incorporation of census tract data that identifies DACs has been further enhanced with the ability to analyze the most popular vehicular travel routes of residents from these areas.
- PredictEV has been used by Alabama’s Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) to develop its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, and its insights informed Volta’s collaboration with the City of Irving and the State of Michigan and DTE Energy.
- Electric utilities, including Southern Company, Southern California Edison, and Tucson Electric Power, also use the planning tool to forecast EV charging demands on the grid.
Bottom Line: Volta’s new feature on PredictEV offers state and local governments a data-driven solution to identify the optimal locations for EV chargers, maximizing convenience and utilization for DAC residents. The feature will help ensure that infrastructure funds are efficiently spent, and applications for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program are competitive. Volta’s commitment to supporting Charging For All and providing vital infrastructure to disadvantaged communities will drive future-forward eMobility infrastructure plans that maximize taxpayers’ dollars.
