Fairfax, CA received a Gold 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 Gold designee, Fairfax has adopted nationally recognized best practices to accelerate the deployment of EVs in the community. Fairfax worked with Charging Smart’s no-cost technical assistance team to increase local knowledge of EV infrastructure for the benefit of economic development and energy goals.
Charging Smart is led by partners including the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office.
The Town of Fairfax’s current Climate Action Plan outlines a robust transition to Zero Emission Vehicles and charging infrastructure. See the Town’s Climate Action Plan’s Transportation chapter on page 27 for more information.
To achieve Charging Smart Gold designation, Fairfax has incorporated EVs and EV charging infrastructure into the community’s strategic plan. Additionally, Fairfax has streamlined the approval process for EV infrastructure, installed a public charger, and purchased EVs for municipal fleet use. These and other actions taken will make it faster, easier, and more affordable for local residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to install EV infrastructure and adopt EVs.
The Town has been hard at work on various EV charging projects. From outreach and education at this past Spring’s EV and E-bike Fair, to working with MTC on a plan to transition our fleet to Zero Emission Vehicles, this designation captures how the Town is supporting sustainable transportation.
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.