How Can Regional Governments Accelerate Electric Vehicle Adoption Amid Infrastructure Gaps?
The Challenge
In 2023, a Midwestern U.S. state with ambitious carbon neutrality goals faced stagnating EV adoption rates despite federal incentives. Legacy auto manufacturing hubs and rural charging deserts created a paradoxical environment: strong consumer interest in EVs collided with “range anxiety” exacerbated by insufficient charging infrastructure. The state government sought to reconcile these tensions while balancing urban/rural equity concerns and utility grid capacity limitations.
Our Approach
Buffalo Strategy on a key advisory role, in a 14-month engagement combining geospatial analysis of travel patterns with behavioral economic modeling. We mapped 500,000 commuter routes to identify optimal charging station locations, prioritizing underserved corridors linking agricultural centers to metropolitan hubs. Concurrently, we engineered a novel financing model that redirected highway toll revenues into infrastructure bonds, creating a self-sustaining investment loop. To address grid constraints, we partnered with renewable energy cooperatives to develop solar-powered microgrid charging hubs.
Key Takeaway
The infrastructure gaps weren’t purely quantitative but structural – existing stations clustered near highways failed to serve daily commuter needs. By reorienting investments toward workplace and multifamily residential charging, we could alleviate range anxiety for 78% of target users while reducing peak grid demand by 41%.
The Outcome
1
Deployed 1,200 new strategically positioned Level 2 chargers, increasing daily charging opportunities by 300% for rural residents.
2
Launched a tax credit program boosting EV sales by 33% in its first year.
3
Reduced projected grid upgrade costs by $220M through distributed solar charging solutions.
