"It's electric": Bill Lane Center and GO-Biz collaborate to streamline EV charging station permits in California

In partnership with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), student researchers from the Bill Lane Center for the American West have completed the first phase of a project aimed at addressing delays in permitting for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the state of California. Always intent on finding solutions to real-world problems, the Bill Lane Center is proud of the students' dedication to making progress toward the state's clean energy goals. A total of 10 students have been engaged in the project thus far, conducting research during the spring and summer of 2023 and continuing into the winter of 2024.  A  Departmental Grant for Undergraduate Research from the Vice Provost Office of Undergraduate Education (VPUE) helped enable the Bill Lane Center to engage students in this work. 

The Bill Lane Center has long supported research and student engagement on energy in the West, including on electric vehicle charging infrastructure. After Gavin Newsom's 2020 executive order announcing that all new cars and passenger trucks in California must transition to zero-emissions by 2035, the need for streamlining a massive build-out of EV charging stations became more urgent. In this call for a rather seismic shift in state climate policy, Bruce Cain, faculty director of the Bill Lane Center, saw a research opportunity (or more accurately, many research opportunities, as he is wont to do). Recognized as an expert in local governance, Cain understood the significant role that cities and counties would play in planning, permitting, installation and operation of charging stations across the state. He reached out to GO-Biz to suggest involving Stanford students in research supporting California's zero-emissions goals, and an initial conversation in January of 2023 led to a fruitful partnership focused on better understanding permitting delays at the local level.

Throughout the spring and summer of 2023, a group of Lane Center research assistants (RAs) dedicated their efforts to the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permitting Project. The team comprised Chloe Romero, Judy Liu, Andrew Huang, Lee Rosenthal, Logan Schreier and Natalia Seniawski. Amaryllis Gao and Armita Hosseini also joined the project with support from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Under the guidance of faculty and staff, with notable support from the Center's research manager Esther Conrad, the eight undergraduates delved into understanding and mitigating the obstacles faced by local governments in implementing streamlined permitting processes for EV charging stations. This work entailed extensive dialogue with local leaders; in all, the students conducted 17 interviews with local government officials and other stakeholders. 

The collaborative efforts of the students provided valuable insights, culminating in three occasions where they had the opportunity to present their findings to GO-Biz staff. These interactions fostered a dynamic exchange of ideas, enabling the researchers to share their discoveries and seek guidance on the next steps in overcoming the challenges associated with EV charging station permitting.

Having witnessed the significant time and effort Lane Center research assistants dedicated to the permitting project, the Governor's Office recently contacted each individual student to express appreciation. In personal letters quoted below,  Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, acknowledged the young researchers' meaningful contributions to the work.

"On behalf of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), I would like to express our sincere appreciation for your time and effort on the Electric Vehicle Station Permitting Project in summer 2023," Myers wrote to the students. She continued,

Your exploration into why some cities have streamlined permitting processes on paper but not in practice, and identification of potential next steps, have given us a better understanding of permitting issues at the local level and will help us address barriers to rapid deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Each individual student was praised for their intelligence and commitment, as well as the optimism inherent in tackling such grave climate challenges head on.  Given the state's ambitious goal of completely transforming the transportation sector, and the dire planetary need to up-end its reliance on fossil fuels, it was no exaggeration when Myers told the students that they are engaged in world-changing work:

Thank you for your commitment to this project and your contribution to advancing California’s zero-emission vehicle, climate, and clean air goals. It’s bright, dedicated minds like yours that are helping change the world.

Building on the success of the initial project, the Bill Lane Center and GO-Biz have announced a renewed partnership. This time, the focus is on determining the potential value and feasibility of a tool to speed up the review of EV charging station permits through automation, and assessing the technical assistance needed to ensure widespread local adoption. Student researchers investigating this new phase of the project include Logan Schreier (continuing on from summer 2023), Sze En Tan and Nick Dietrich.

The solutions-focused research contributed by Lane Center students will play a crucial role in informing decisions made by the Governor's Office on how to maximize the impact of available zero-emission vehicle funding, Dee Dee Myers has said. As California continues its commitment to halt internal combustion and advance clean air initiatives, the insights from this partnership are anticipated to shape future strategies and initiatives in the state.

Moreover, the collaboration also signifies a proactive approach to advancing sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions in California. By addressing the hurdles in the permitting process for EV charging stations, the partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and contribute significantly to the state's clean energy objectives.

The commitment shown by Lane Center researchers and the ongoing alliance between academic institutions and government entities underscores the importance of interdisciplinary efforts in driving positive change for California. Such collaborations also pave the way for talented, policy-oriented students to purse careers related to their important research. As summer RA Logan Schreier wrote of his research and future goals,

I feel much more inclined to pursue public policy research as a viable career path, due to the fact that GO-Biz has placed so much emphasis on what we've had to say! Especially for as noble of a goal as EV charging infrastructure expansion, I would love to lend my insights to public servants with a determination to give back to their communities. It was such fulfilling work!

The Lane Center looks forward to continuing its work with the Governor's Office in pursuit of a cleaner future for California and the West. As the partnership steadily moves the dial on important state climate objectives, the joint effort has been nothing short of electric.