Driving Electric — 10 Ways Cities Can Move on Electric Mobility in a Changing Landscape

This guide by RMI outlines ten strategies for United States cities to advance inclusive electric mobility, focusing on affordability and accessibility for residents without private vehicles or home charging. It provides specific examples of municipal policies, from building code mandates for EV-readiness in Arizona to zero-emission delivery zones in California, to help cities navigate budget constraints and reduced federal funding.

• Cities are utilizing digital tools and centralized portals to reduce permitting delays for EV charging. Chicago's Drive Electric portal serves as a one-stop shop that provides a searchable database of endorsed infrastructure, rebates, and certified installers, which can result in permit approvals for multifamily buildings in a single day.
• Municipalities are implementing 'EV-readiness' mandates in building codes for multifamily and commercial housing to lower future installation costs. In 2022, Tucson required new multifamily developments to provide active EV outlets for 10% of parking spaces and pre-wiring for another 20%. Mesa requires at least 5% of new multifamily units with designated parking to have a fully operational, hardwired L2 EV charger before occupancy.
• To address 'charging deserts' and the needs of residents without private driveways, cities are leveraging the public right-of-way. Portland has implemented a pole-mounted charging project using existing utility poles and streetlights, allowing residents to use portable charging cords near on-street parking.
• Cities are integrating e-mobility into broader transportation hubs to reduce reliance on personal vehicles. Austin's Mobility Hubs Program co-locates public transit, e-bike and e-scooter shares, and electric shuttles in historically disadvantaged communities to reduce first- and last-mile barriers.
• Financial incentives and shared-access models are being used to make e-bikes and EV carsharing accessible to low-income residents. Atlanta provides point-of-sale rebates of up to $2,000 for cargo e-bikes for income-qualified residents. In Albuquerque, the GoForth program provides community EV carsharing near affordable housing and transit hubs.
• To support the electrification of ridehailing fleets, Minneapolis and St. Paul are investing in fast-charging at airports and transit hubs. They also use the Drive Electric Minnesota’s EV Fleets program to aggregate demand, which increases collective purchasing power and lowers costs for drivers and nonprofits.
• Zero-Emission Zones (ZEZ) are being used to target freight emissions in dense urban cores. Santa Monica established the first one-square-mile Zero Emissions Delivery Zone (ZEDZ) in the US to test last-mile delivery solutions and reduce diesel truck traffic in its commercial core.

APA

RMI (2026). Driving Electric — 10 Ways Cities Can Move on Electric Mobility in a Changing Landscape. https://rmi.org/resources/driving-electric-10-ways-cities-can-move-on-electric-mobility-in-a-changing-landscape/

Chicago

RMI. Driving Electric — 10 Ways Cities Can Move on Electric Mobility in a Changing Landscape. 2026. https://rmi.org/resources/driving-electric-10-ways-cities-can-move-on-electric-mobility-in-a-changing-landscape/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Driving Electric — 10 Ways Cities Can Move on Electric Mobility in a Changing Landscape |date=9 June 2026 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/driving-electric-10-ways-cities-can-move-on-electric-mobility-in-a-changing-landscape/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2026driving, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Driving Electric — 10 Ways Cities Can Move on Electric Mobility in a Changing Landscape}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/driving-electric-10-ways-cities-can-move-on-electric-mobility-in-a-changing-landscape/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }