Plug-in vehicles and the plug - policy to address the Chicken or the Egg problem

People are hesitant to purchase plug-in capable vehicles without the necessary infrastructure to support them. Charging infrastructure is unlikely to be spontaneously installed without a demonstrated need. This “Chicken or the Egg” situation is a major roadblock to the widespread adaptation of efficient plug-in vehicles. This paper presents some of the roadblocks to implementation of charging infrastructure and how they can be addressed by local and state governments, electric utilities, and organizations like the IEEE. Our focus is to address implementing policies for vehicle charging infrastructure at the local municipality level. We present a draft zoning by-law that was proposed in 2008, and discuss the reactions and questions that arose as a result of the proposal. Finally, we discuss the current state of plug-in vehicle infrastructure standards and how it relates to creating local policies to require the infrastructure necessary to speed the adaptation of plug-in vehicles.