A new publicly available electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure planning tool released by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WashDOT) helps public-sector planners, nonprofits and private developers gain a deep understanding of where the infrastructure currently exists and where it may be needed, and imparts insights into the EV concentration in any given census tract.
The EV Mapping and Planning Tool, which went live in March, grew out of a directive from the state Legislature around using data to grow charging infrastructure in Washington, in a way that would best serve today’s EV driving population and encourage the EV transition to advance.
“The Legislature was really interested in a tool that provides a coordinated way and a timely way of deploying infrastructure to support that goal,” Kara Symonds, a WashDOT transportation planning specialist, said.
The information offered by the planning tool ranges from some of the most basic, such as the shortage of high-speed charging along the 168 miles of Washington State Route 2 connecting Spokane with Wenatchee. Sure, drivers could easily glean this information from apps like PlugShare. But with its more than 100 data sets, the planning tool offers insights into charging demand by indicating concentrations of EV ownership across the state. The tool also shows planned EV investments, alternative fuel corridors and other information. It was developed as a partnership with Esri, the mapping and GIS services company.
Data related to traffic patterns, land use, and proximity to amenities can help identify high-impact locations during the site selection process, Brian Keenum, Esri industry practice lead for ports, maritime and rail, said. Other pieces of data needed for planning purposes include electric grid coverage and capacity, which can inform variables like the cost to develop a charging location.
“Demographic and socioeconomic data help ensure that infrastructure planning supports equitable access, especially in underserved or rural communities,” Keenum said via email. “Environmental data, such as air quality or climate vulnerability can also guide investments toward areas with the greatest potential for public health and sustainability impact.”
The planning tool includes data showing how long drivers are spending in certain locations, which tells planners if that area is in need of fast-charging, or slower dwell-charging infrastructure.
“If this is a travel corridor, and people are just stopped for quick visits, that’s a use case for fast-charging,” Symonds said.
This type of technology is used by several state agencies, transportation departments and the private sector to plan and communicate electric vehicle infrastructure, Keenum said.
“Its adoption underscores a broader shift to GIS as an effective method for visualizing network readiness, pinpointing gaps and engaging the public in infrastructure planning,” he said.
In Washington, multiple state agencies are charged with various levels of EV policy and incentive programs. These include the departments of Commerce, Transportation and Licensing. The planning tool brings data and policy from all of these agencies together as one real-time, authoritative, collaborative effort to advance the adoption of electrified transportation.
For example, WashDOT has a corridor charging program focused on state routes. The Department of Commerce has a charging program focused on expanding charging in workplaces, and in multifamily housing.
Planning tools like this one, Symonds said, allow for more cross-pollination and coordination among the various efforts.
“Coordinated is a key directive for this tool,” she said. “It’s important because other agencies are working on electrification. This is just another way we can all work together by sharing information.”
The directive from the state was to build the tool based on timely and authoritative data, which would always be updated as new information helps to inform what the state’s EV landscape looks like at any given time. Some of the information came from federal sources like the U.S. Department of Energy, and from surrounding states, as well as from British Columbia, Canada.
“Any data set that we got, we wanted to make sure that it incorporated a neighboring jurisdiction, because you need to make sure that you can plan both sides of a border,” Symonds said.
