Volta Inc., a company that specializes in electric vehicle (EV) charging and media services, has announced its plans to use its infrastructure planning service, PredictEV®, to perform an extensive EV charging needs assessment for the City of Irving, Texas. PredictEV® will use data-driven insights to identify the most effective charging infrastructure strategy based on current and future requirements of EV drivers, including those from disadvantaged communities. This information will be used by the Transportation and Natural Resources Committee in Irving to create a comprehensive infrastructure plan that will enable the city to apply for federal and state grants in the future.
The Discretionary Grant Program for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure is a federal grant program that offers $1.25 billion for community charging under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The infrastructure plan generated from PredictEV® will help Irving to apply for these grants in the future. Mayor of the City of Irving, Rick Stopfer, has stated that it is essential for the city to develop a comprehensive and efficient infrastructure roadmap to support electric vehicles as they become more popular in North Texas.
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PredictEV® is an advanced infrastructure planning solution that analyzes data from various sources, including local mobility, demographic, commercial, and site-specific data, to provide high-resolution responses to important EV infrastructure questions. These include the optimal charger quantity and locations, expected EV adoption rates, the right mix of charging infrastructure, and the expected energy requirements from the grid. PredictEV® aligns with the Justice40 goal of the federal government to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities, including those benefiting from the BIL and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Volta’s collaboration with Irving is part of the company’s commitment to public-private partnerships that align with the $7.5 billion in grants the federal government has allocated towards the buildout of public EV charging infrastructure. PredictEV® has also been used by Alabama’s Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) to develop its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan. Its insights have informed Volta’s collaboration with the State of Michigan and DTE Energy. Southern Company, Southern California Edison, and Tucson Electric Power also use the tool to support and inform their EV charging initiatives.
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Brandt Hastings, Chief Commercial Officer at Volta, has stated that “Local governments are finalizing their strategies for deploying the upcoming wave of community charging grant funding under the Discretionary Grant Program for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure. PredictEV® ensures these governments have access to valuable data and can create applications that fulfill federal requirements when executing their plans.” Volta’s continued work with government agencies supports its Charging For All initiative, which aims to deliver affordable, reliable, and equitable charging across the United States.
