Pasadena, CA – CALSTART, a leading global clean transportation nonprofit, and partner, Eaton, are excited to share the findings from the Compact Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) pilot project. Fresno, California, was identified as the primary location for this project after a series of virtual and in-person workshops and a comprehensive GIS data analysis.

The selection of Fresno was enthusiastically received by Brittany Carpenter from the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce, a lifelong Fresno resident: “I’m happy to see projects like this here because we are usually overlooked. We joke that we are 15 years behind the rest of California, so we love to see Fresno picked as first choice.”

In June 2024, CALSTART met with Eaton, the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce, Community Housing Development Corporation, OK Produce, and the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency to discuss the project trajectory and its outcomes. Six key themes emerged from the discussion with participants:

• Charging Access and Range Anxiety
• Lack of Education
• Charging Reliability and Site Security
• Role of the State
• Cultural Shifts
• Love of Place

The positive momentum continued throughout the day and further illustrated the importance of pairing innovative technology and partnerships, as stated by Bob Thomason with OK Produce: “We knew when we went down this path to electrify our fleet, we would face challenges, but we were and continue to be committed to a cleaner future. To get to where we are today, it has taken a tremendous amount of teamwork and vital partnerships to accomplish our goals.”

As the workshop concluded, participants left with a sense of community and positive outlook for the future of the Central Valley. “We have homes here. For our future generations staying here, we must do what we can for the environment and to reduce pollution,” said Robert Garcia, OK Produce.

In response to the findings, CALSTART issued this statement:

“Including community voices and perspectives from the very beginning and throughout the entire project lifecycle is a measure of success that you cannot entirely quantify. That aspect is intricately woven into this project. Building relationships and partnerships takes time, but once they are established and all parties share a common goal, great things are possible,” said Falisha Lucas, Deputy Director of Tribal Affairs, CALSTART.

Background

This project is in collaboration with CALSTART, Eaton, and the Vehicle and Technologies Office within the U.S. Department of Energy to rapidly deploy and install mixed-use infrastructure for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty electric vehicle charging in an underserved community in California. The goal of the project is to examine select California communities to show how historically marginalized areas would benefit from having and using reduced-cost, direct-current fast charging (DCFC) infrastructure that is directly connected to a medium voltage utility distribution system.

CALSTART welcomes interviews from journalists. Please contact CALSTART Media Manager, Jennifer Smith, to plan.

About CALSTART

A mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all, CALSTART has offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado, California, Florida, and Europe. CALSTART is uniquely positioned to build the national clean transportation industry by working closely with its 285 member companies and building on the lessons learned from the major programs it manages for the State of California. CALSTART manages more than $500 million in vehicle incentive and technical assistance programs in the United States and is leading a global effort to build the zero-emission commercial vehicle market.