Project Get Ready tackles four problems simultaneously:

1. Regional leaders often call participants and ask “how do I become a leader” and we don’t have a great answer;

2. OEMs are nervous that consumers won’t adopt plug-ins because the cars will be too strange (have early-stage snafus), have high costs, and infrastructure won’t be in place;

3. Infrastructure is expensive. Who will pay?

4. Several cities are taking aggressive and excellent action to implement plug-ins, but their approaches and lessons learned aren’t coordinated.

These problems can be overcome if cities/regions become ecosystems that welcome plug-ins. To create such an ecosystem, incentives need to be put in ranging from financial incentives, to “luxuries”, advertising, job training, education, service, and more.

Project Plug-IN has three specific objectives that will each be implemented through ESN’s comprehensive collaborative systems approach.

1. Plug-IN Commute: Deploy a fleet of AEDVs and supporting charging infrastructure to evaluate performance and operation in a variety of real-world commuting environments allowing manufactures to optimize cost and provide the desired performance to achieve mass market penetration among consumers.

2. Plug-IN Fleet: Deploy a broad range of AEDVs and supporting charging infrastructure in centralized fleet operations to evaluate performance and operation of multiple vehicles platforms allowing manufactures to optimize cost and provide the desired performance to achieve mass-market penetration in the fleet market.

3. Plug-IN Support: Develop, deploy, and evaluate an array of supportive services (i.e. data management, public outreach, and sales and service readiness) that will accelerate plug-in technology development, commercialization, and enhance consumer interest.

Indianapolis has a diverse stakeholder group that is making great strides with Project Plug-IN. It has good relationships with local automakers, such as Think and Bright Automotive, and has been working very closely with the two area utilities, Duke Energy and Indiana Power & Light, to plan an EV charging infrastructure rollout.

Indianapolis is taking a unique approach in tackling the educational component. The city is working with local universities to provide outreach and technical training, and reaching out to local taxi fleets to switch some of these vehicles over to electric.