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The number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road in the United States is growing
at a steady rate. More electric cars will necessitate more electric car chargers,
both in public spaces and in private homes and rental properties. Local governments
must prepare for the steadily increasing demand for electric car chargers, by educating
business and property owners of the benefits of providing car charging stations, and
by making charging stations available in public spaces.
The need to adapt to the rise of electric vehicles is especially important for small
towns that rely on tourism. As more and more visitors begin to arrive by electric
vehicle in the coming years, towns that are tourist destinations must prepare to meet
the charging needs of their residents and guests.
In 2021, the Town of Nags Head, North Carolina approached the Duke Nicholas School
of the Environment for assistance in preparing for electric vehicles in their town.
A Masters’ Project team was formed to create this comprehensive Electric Vehicle Action
Plan to assist Nags Head in planning for a successful and more environmentally-friendly
future. Our team consists of Camila Zárate Ospina, who has a background in environmental
engineering, Narissa Petchumrus, with a background in public policy, and Will Price,
who has a background in law. We were graced with the supervision of Dr. Timothy Johnson,
Ph.D., the Associate Dean for Professional Programs and Chair of the Energy & Environment
Program at the Nicholas School.
The overall objective of this Action Plan is to determine what the charging and infrastructure
needs of the town will be as the number of EVs increases, and then to make recommendations
to the Town of Nags Head based on these findings.
To accomplish this goal, this team carried out extensive research into EV sales, charging
requirements, local demographics, relevant laws, and comparable plans created by other
cities/states. The team created a mathematical model to ultimately predict the charging
infrastructure needs of the town for the next thirty years, based on projected sales
figures and tourist behavior. Moreover, the team conducted numerous interviews with
experts and local stakeholders to fully evaluate the needs and perspectives relevant
to the plan. Consideration was made for issues of resiliency and equity particular
to Nags Head. Finally, the team identified sources of grant funding and support for
vehicle electrification, should the town choose to install its own chargers or electrify
its municipal fleet.
Based on the results of this work, this plan concludes with recommendations for the
town to pursue, separated into four broad categories: infrastructure, policy and outreach,
resiliency, and sources of funding.
Regarding infrastructure, the results of the model projecting EV numbers in Nags Head
recommends that the Town install 100 to 250 EV chargers by the year 2030. This figure
includes both publicly accessible chargers and chargers installed in private homes
and rental properties. The model further recommends that the town focus on the more
affordable, slower-charging Level 2 type of charger, rather than the more expensive
DC fast charger, because visitors stay for an average of five days, meaning that slower,
more abundant Level 2 chargers will be more useful to the town than the less plentiful,
much faster DC fast chargers.
With respect to policy and outreach, we recommend that the town develop a relationship
with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) with the objective of laying the
groundwork for support of future EV plans. We further recommend that the town present
to local business owners and property managers on the importance and benefits of installing
charging infrastructure in business parking lots and private rental properties. Our
recommendation that town install 100 to 250 chargers, including both private and public
chargers, by the year 2030, is informed by the fact that roughly 80 percent of all
tourists stay in private rental properties. It will be up to developers and property
managers to install chargers at the properties where the majority of visitors will
be parking their vehicles.
Regarding resiliency, we recommend exploring the possibility of creating a microgrid
for the town, that will be resistant to power outages caused by weather conditions
on the coast. Similarly, utilizing battery storage could be another way to increase
resiliency in the electric grid as more and more drivers rely on electricity to power
their vehicles in the event of an emergency evacuation scenario. Finally, generally
hardening electric infrastructure in the town will increase the reliability of EV
chargers and the grids they draw from.
Finally, we recommend that Nags Head explore several promising sources of funding
as it considers installing EV chargers. The Volkswagen Settlement fund provides millions
of dollars of grant money in North Carolina for the purpose of constructing EV infrastructure.
The Volkswagen fund is distributed in phases spanning several years, making the timing
of the funding proposal deadlines ideal for Nags Head to evaluate their course of
action and apply. Similarly, the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs act promises
several million dollars for North Carolina to build EV charging infrastructure, on
a timeline that should be compatible with Nags Heads decision-making process, should
the town choose to apply for grants.
It is our hope that this action plan can serve as a useful tool for towns other than
Nags Head. Just as we began our work by reviewing EV plans from other towns and cities,
this document will serve as a good resource for other groups who are interested in
learning more about electric vehicles and what their growth will mean for small towns,
especially towns that rely on tourism, or are located on the coast.
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