The City of Arlington, Texas has been awarded a Bronze designation from the national Charging Smart program for implementing policies that facilitate the expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging infrastructure. Arlington is the first municipality in not just Texas but the southern half of the continental United States to achieve this national recognition. 

“This recognition demonstrates Arlington’s commitment to planning for a more sustainable, accessible future,” the City’s Transportation Director Alicia Winkelblech said. “By preparing our city for the growth of electric vehicles, we’re supporting environmental goals, economic development, and the evolving needs of our residents.”

Charging Smart is led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) with Great Plains Institute (GPI) serving as lead partner on the project. Other partners include the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and the Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities Coalition, hosted at NCTCOG. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office, Charging Smart offers no-cost technical assistance to local governments to help accelerate the deployment of EVs and expand access to EV charging for residents, businesses, and visitors.

“We are thrilled to see Arlington’s efforts culminate in this well-deserved Bronze designation,” said Lori Clark, NCTCOG’s senior program manager for the Alternative Fuels & Energy Program. “As the first designee in the Southern U.S. to receive this award, Arlington is setting a powerful example and paving the way for electric vehicle readiness across Dallas-Fort Worth.”

“Arlington’s Charging Smart Bronze designation is the result of this community’s hard work to reduce costs and increase access to EV charging infrastructure, benefiting residents, businesses, and the environment,” said Ed Gilliland, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives at IREC. “Arlington is making significant strides in electric transportation.”

To receive the Charging Smart Bronze designation, Arlington completed a series of actions that reduce barriers to EV adoption and make it easier, faster, and more affordable for residents and businesses to install EV infrastructure. Bronze designees must standardize permitting processes, review zoning codes, and coordinate with utility providers on infrastructure needs. Arlington exceeded those baseline requirements by documenting numerous additional accomplishments, including:

• Planning: Developing a community-wide EV vision.
• Regulation: Reviewing zoning ordinances to identify restrictions on EV charging infrastructure; adopting a standard permit application process for both residential and nonresidential EV charging; creating and publishing permitting checklists; and enabling online permit submission with electronic signatures.
• Utility Engagement: Hosting coordination meetings with utility providers to explore future EV infrastructure and collaboration.
• Education & Incentives: Launching a dedicated EV resource page on the City’s website; promoting available City and utility programs; and sharing digital tools that help users locate charging stations in the area.
• Government Operations: Electrifying at least one light-duty municipal vehicle and training public safety personnel on EV-related emergency response procedures.
• Shared Mobility: Partnering with the local transit operator to assess and adopt goals for transitioning to electric transit and paratransit services.

The City’s Transportation Department led the initiative but Arlington’s success depended on collaboration from staff across several departments, all working together to position the community for a cleaner, more efficient transportation future.

To learn more about Charging Smart, and how your community can benefit from its free technical assistance, visit ChargingSmart.org.