Equity
Charging the Crossroads is committed to the equitable expansion of EV charging infrastructure throughout Indiana.
As of March 2024, 39 sites have been selected for the first round of EV fast charging stations that will be funded by Charging the Crossroads.
Justice40
Justice40 Initiative
Charging the Crossroads is federally-funded by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which is part of the Justice40 Initiative.
What is Justice40?
Purpose
Justice40 is a federal effort to deliver at least 40% of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to Disadvantaged Communities (DACs).
Need
Executive Order 14008 and the federal NEVI guidance use publicly available data sets to identify DACs – in general these are areas characterized by lack of access to health or transportation, are economically or equitably disadvantaged, carry a negative energy burden, or are adversely impacted by environmental and climate hazards.
Community Engagement
All Justice40 covered programs are required to engage in stakeholder consultation and ensure that community stakeholders are meaningfully involved in determining program benefits.
Charging the Crossroads Equity FAQs
How is Charging the Crossroads engaging with stakeholders throughout the program?
Since the launch of the Charging the Crossroads program, INDOT has conducted several in-person and virtual public meetings throughout the state to engage stakeholders and seek feedback on plan updates, program benefits, metrics, and more. Resources from past meetings can be found here.
INDOT anticipates the next round of public meetings to provide updates and gather feedback on the Charging the Crossroads program will take place this summer. Although the next round of public meetings are being scheduled, we encourage you to share feedback with us any time on the public comment form.
How does Charging the Crossroads comply with the Justice40 Initiative?
INDOT has identified benefits related to access, reliability and EV awareness and adoption, and has included program metrics in their EV Deployment Plan in order to comply with federal Justice40 requirements. INDOT is also creating a Justice40 compliance plan for Charging the Crossroads to ensure 40 percent of the overall program benefits go to disadvantaged communities per federal Justice40 requirements. INDOT anticipates the draft plan will be released for public comment in May 2024.
What are disadvantaged communities (DACs) and where are they in Indiana?
Disadvantaged communities are identified through federal guidance given to the states, including from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). In general, INDOT has characterized these areas as those that lack access to healthcare or transportation, are economically disadvantaged, carry a negative energy burden, or are adversely impacted by environmental and climate hazards.
The Electric Vehicle Charging Justice40 Map tool was developed by the DOE and USDOT to help states assess DAC locations for Justice40 purposes. A map of Indiana’s DACs is available here.
What types of Justice40 benefits are being measured in the program?
Access
- Percent of AFC miles that are within 50 miles of a charging station (and AFC miles in a DAC community).
- Percent of charging stations that are within 5 miles of a DAC.
- The goal is 80% by the end of the Charging the Crossroads program
- Percent of charging stations that are within 15 miles of a DAC.
- The goal is 100% by the end of the Charging the Crossroads program
Reliability
- Percent of time at least one port is available at all sites (total and in and near a DAC)
- The goal is 97% for ALL ports
EV Awareness and Adoption
- Attendance by demographic at program events
Where are the EV charging stations, funded by Charging the Crossroads, located in relation to Indiana’s DACs?
As of March 2024, 39 sites have been selected for the first round of EV fast charging stations that will be funded by Charging the Crossroads. Of these 39 selected sites:
- 12 of the 39 sites are located within a DAC (31%).
- 32 of the 39 sites are located within 5 miles of a DAC (82%).
- All 39 selected sites are located within 15 miles of a DAC (100%).
INDOT anticipates the installation of initial charging stations at these sites to begin in 2025.
Are small and minority-, women-, veteran, and disabled-owned business (XBEs) participating in the program?
INDOT continues to engage XBEs as part of the Charging the Crossroads procurement process and anticipates additional networking opportunities to take place later this year in advance of the release of the second Notice of Funding Opportunity. INDOT has established the EV Partner Directory to connect potential prime applicants to individuals or organizations that are interested in partnering as a part of the procurement process. Interested parties are encouraged to register on the EV Partner Directory to facilitate these connections and receive updates on future networking opportunities. INDOT welcomes comments on how to continue engagement efforts as the program moves forward.
Indiana’s DAC Communities
Following community feedback from public engagement activities, INDOT developed the following maps to understand the overlap of DAC areas, diverse areas, and Black/African American communities as they relate to Indiana’s AFCs.