The Menu A list of actions that leaders can take to make their community a plug-in pioneer

The Menu is a guide published by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) that provides a framework of actions for community leaders to prepare their cities for the adoption of electrified vehicles (plug-ins). It categorizes actions into "must have" and "nice to have" tiers, targeting a goal of having plug-ins account for 2% of total registered vehicles within five years.

• The guide identifies several primary barriers to the adoption of electrified vehicles, including high battery costs, the need for automakers to create new drivetrains, the requirement for utilities to manage mobile loads, and the necessity for cities and businesses to install charging infrastructure.
• RMI defines a "ready" community as one that meets most of the 15 "must have" actions and maintains a coordinated, active plug-in community. These actions include committing fleets to buy plug-ins, creating a collaborative stakeholder group with a dedicated "champion," and fast-tracking permitting for charging stations.
• To support the first 10,000 plug-in vehicles (representing 2% of a hypothetical city's fleet), the guide suggests specific infrastructure targets: 4,000 workplace stations, 6,000 home-charger installations, and one public charging station for every 100 vehicles.
• Using a hypothetical city modeled on Denver, Colorado, RMI estimates that achieving the "ready" goal of 10,000 vehicles over five years would result in a net cost of approximately $10 million, shared among the municipality, state, employers, and utilities, while creating 250 net new jobs.
• The guide outlines specific financial and environmental benefits for a city reaching the 10,000-vehicle goal by 2014, including the avoidance of 2 million gallons of oil and a reduction of 9,750 tonnes of CO2-e per year.
• The document details the roles of various actors: municipal governments handle permitting and building codes; utilities provide electricity rates and home charger installation; civic groups lead consumer education; and local businesses provide workplace charging and fleet commitments.

APA

Schewel, L., & Wilson, J. (2009). The Menu A list of actions that leaders can take to make their community a plug-in pioneer. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Project_Get_Ready_Menu_Mar16.pdf

Chicago

Schewel, Laura, and Jenn Wilson. The Menu A list of actions that leaders can take to make their community a plug-in pioneer. RMI, 2009. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Project_Get_Ready_Menu_Mar16.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schewel |first1=Laura |last2=Wilson |first2=Jenn |title=The Menu A list of actions that leaders can take to make their community a plug-in pioneer |publisher=RMI |date=18 March 2009 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Project_Get_Ready_Menu_Mar16.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schewel2009menu, author = {Schewel, Laura and Wilson, Jenn}, title = {{The Menu A list of actions that leaders can take to make their community a plug-in pioneer}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Project_Get_Ready_Menu_Mar16.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }