Fairfax County, Va. has received a Silver designation from the national Charging Smart program for achieving policies that facilitate the expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging infrastructure.
As a Charging Smart Silver designee, Fairfax County has adopted nationally recognized best practices to accelerate the purchase and use of EVs in the community. The county worked with Charging Smart's no-cost technical assistance team to increase local knowledge of EV infrastructure for the benefit of economic development and clean energy goals.
Charging Smart, part of the Energy Ready suite of programs, is led by partners including the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and Virginia Clean Cities, and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office. Fairfax County received a SolSmart Gold designation in 2019 for its efforts to increase adoption of clean energy.
“Achieving Charging Smart Silver is a strong affirmation that Fairfax County is turning its clean transportation and alternative fuel vehicle goals into real progress on the ground,” said John Morrill, Director of the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination. “This designation reflects our commitment to making it easier for residents, businesses, and county government itself to transition to cleaner vehicles and the infrastructure they need. It also underscores that this is truly a team effort.”
Reaching this milestone required close collaboration across county government led by OEEC, in partnership with Land Development Services, the Department of Vehicle Services, and the Department of Planning and Development, Morrill noted.
The Charging Smart Silver designation was earned by Fairfax County for actions the county has taken to make it faster, easier, and more affordable for local residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to install EV infrastructure and adopt EVs, including:
- Planning: Development of a communitywide EV Readiness Strategy with goals that are specific, measurable, attainable and relevant.
- Regulation: Establishing recommendations that encourage developers to provide a predetermined amount of accessible charging spaces, relative to the total number of charging spaces.
- Government operations: Installing over 100 EV charging ports at county facilities, to complement the over 1,000 EV charging ports for public use by the private sector across the county. The county vehicle fleet also includes 75 battery electric vehicles.
- Utility engagement: Creating a partnership with Dominion Energy to collaborate on EV initiatives, including Charge Up Fairfax.
- Education and incentives: Sharing informational resources about EVs and financial incentives on county communication channels and at community gatherings.
Local governments achieve Charging Smart designation by meeting established criteria that are based on national best-practices for building EV-friendly communities. The Charging Smart team of experts offers no-cost technical assistance and resources to help communities put these practices into action. Those that meet the criteria are designated Charging Smart Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Any city, town, county, and regional organization is eligible to join the Charging Smart program. Interested communities can learn more at Charging Smart.org.
To learn more about Fairfax County’s efforts to prepare for an EV-friendly future, visit the Fleet Electrification webpage.
john.silcox@fairfaxcounty.gov