Crossroads of green America: Drive Clean Indiana wants Region to be a leader in electric vehicle infrastructure

The EV charging station at the NIRPC headquarters in Portage. Northwest Indiana is home to more than 70 charging stations. As electric vehicles become more popular, the Region will need even more.

PORTAGE — Over the past year, Robert Parkhurst has seen demand for electric vehicles at Garber Chevrolet "skyrocket."

Parkhurst, Garber's commercial fleet manager, said the Highland car dealership is trying to "get ahead of the curve," making sure they have enough EVs on the lot and installing an EV charging station.

"We have demand for them, people are ordering them, people are asking about them, but has been very, very slow to get the batteries."

Garber said the entire EV supply chain is gummed up. He has been working to install a charging station for eight months, but delayed materials has kept progress slow.

With billions of dollars of federal funding going toward establishing EV infrastructure in the coming years, EV materials will likely become even more of a hot commodity.

With a future that's looking more and more electric, Carl Lisek wants the Region to be ready.

"We want to get ahead of the game because we know that there's a lot of build-out already taking place without these federal funds," the executive director of Drive Clean Indiana said. "We want to see our area facilitate electric mobility and electric charging."

Of the 750,000 light-duty vehicles sporting Indiana plates, Lisek said 0.1% are electric. However, electric vehicles are steadily growing in popularity. According to the International Energy Agency, sales of electric cars reached a record high in 2021, bringing the number of electric vehicles on the road to 16.5 million. The IEA also estimated that in 2022, 13% of new cars sold would be electric, although that prediction has not been confirmed.

Carl Lisek, executive director of Drive Clean Indiana, leads an EV boot camp Thursday morning.

The Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, which shows the global energy sector achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, would require electric vehicles to make up 60% of new-car sales by 2030, according to the IEA.

In an effort to reach this goal, the U.S. Department of Energy will invest $5 billion in EV infrastructure through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. The goal is to create a nationwide network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030.

In addition, Indiana won $40.9 million through the federal Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust. The trust is the result of a $2.9 billion settlement made by Volkswagen, which admitted violating the Clean Air Act by cheating on federal emissions tests.

So far, Lisek estimated that 70% of Indiana's Volkswagen settlement money has gone to Northwest Indiana because of the Green Fleet Program. It helps local municipalities transition to alternative fuels and it administered by South Shore Clean Cities and the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission.

There are 412 public charging stations scattered across Indiana. LaPorte County is home to 12, Porter County has 13, and Lake County has 47. Before the end of the year, Lipsek said several new stations will be installed by NIPSCO.

As the "Crossroads of America," the Hoosier state will play a key role in creating a reliable alternative-fuel corridor. Charging stations will continue to be installed along many of the state's major highways.

"We're being told 'Electric is coming,' we're seeing all these commitments from all the major auto manufacturers, so how do we get ready for this onslaught?" Lisek asked. "How do we plan for the future?"

Crafting an effective plan was the goal of an EV boot camp hosted Wednesday by Drive Clean Indiana and NIRPC. Residents, electricians, car dealers, business owners and city officials gathered to learn more about available resources and to discuss EV regulations.

One of the biggest issues with EV standards and zoning regulations is that "there just aren't many," Lisek explained.

Because the EV industry is advancing so quickly, most local governments have not adopted uniform ordinances addressing things like required signage at charging stations, EV etiquette and stormwater requirements around chargers.

Lisek raised several questions, among them: What is the maximum amount of time a car should be allowed to charge? What should standard charging fees be? Who is liable if a charging station is damaged? What local codes to charging stations have to meet?

Participants were asked to share their thoughts on proposed EV charging station ordinance by the end of June. Drive Clean Indiana hopes to create a blueprint with different EV standards and regulations by this fall.

Crown Point installed two EV charging stations this year.

"We want to lead by example," Lisek said. "We want to lead Northwest Indiana and lead the rest of our state."

Going electric could make a big difference in the Region, where a recent inventory on greenhouse gas revealed that transportation accounts for much of Northwest Indiana's emissions.

The majority, 83.5%, of the Region's emissions come from industry, but transportation makes up 12.3% of the remainder. Without industry, transportation accounts for 74% of Northwest Indiana's greenhouse gas emissions.

Nationally, transportation accounted for 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, while industry made up 25%.

Lowering transportation emissions would improve quality of life and reduce health disparities.

"We need to think big, we need to think about the future of our communities," Lisek said.

Mayor Matt Murphy prepares to cut the ribbon Wednesday as Valparaiso unveils new solar panels on city hall.

Mayor Matt Murphy cuts the ribbon Wednesday as Valparaiso unveils new solar panels on city hall.

City services director Steve Poulos describes the new solar panels installed on city hall.

Mayor Matt Murphy addresses a gathering Wednesday as Valparaiso unveils new solar panels on city hall.

Mayor Matt Murphy addresses a gathering Wednesday as Valparaiso unveils new solar panels on city hall.

City services director Steve Poulos describes the new solar panels installed on city hall.

Mayor Matt Murphy addresses the crowd Wednesday as Valparaiso unveils new solar panels on the roof of city hall.

One hundred solar panels have been installed on the roof of the Valparaiso City Hall. The installation was part of a larger solar project; 772 panels have been mounted on five city buildings.

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