Transitioning vehicles from gasoline to electricity is an important strategy for reducing emissions in the city. However, a significant barrier to EV adoption in Cambridge is the number of multi-family homes which reduces the opportunity for at-home charging, usually the primary source of charging for EV owners.
Arcadis first worked with Cambridge to develop criteria for selecting neighborhoods to focus on for the pilot. This included data analysis and developing a scoring matrix to identify the most suitable neighborhoods based on numerous factors including equity, existing EV charging stations, current installation requests, and available parking spaces, to name only a few. Then, Arcadis worked with stakeholders to develop the constraints to be considered when siting curb-side and street-light EV charging stations. The constraints analysis helped us indicate the best spots to place EV charging stations. The next step involves Arcadis and the city narrowing down the short list of potential locations by conducting engineering analysis, site walk-throughs, and soliciting feedback from utility liaisons and other stakeholders. In addition, Arcadis is developing electrical and accessibility requirements for each charging station.
This project involves strategic transportation planning, stakeholder management, data analysis and visualization, electrical engineering, urban planning, and civil engineering siting.
