Creating the Charging Infrastructure of the Future

HDR’s Rob Mowat Shares with ENR the Infrastructure Requirements of a U.S. Shift Toward Electric Vehicles 

As communities and consumers embrace the transition to electric vehicles, transportation planners and designers find themselves at the forefront of a pivotal challenge: establishing sustainable and resilient charging infrastructure. This seismic shift in transportation will redefine how people and goods are moved. In the United States, the federal government has set a goal of half of all vehicles sold in the nation being electric by 2030. Designing the charging infrastructure necessary requires navigating a landscape of technological intricacies and urban planning nuance to serve a wide variety of vehicles.

Rob Mowat, HDR’s transportation electrified mobility practice lead, recently shared his considerable insight on this topic with Engineering News-Record. Citing the West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative, Mowat noted that the electric vehicle shift will require infrastructure owners to plan for much larger power needs and requiring intensive collaboration between stakeholders.

“We’re trying to forecast power demands for medium and heavy-duty vehicles,” he told ENR. “Truck stops need 15 megawatts. Where will it come from? Where do you put all these trucks as they sit for 30 to 40 minutes? Coordination between utilities, regulatory boards and policymakers will be important.”

Mowat leads HDR’s zero emissions mobility practice and draws on more than 30 years of experience in the transportation industry. He’s helped multiple agencies plan for successful deployments of fleet electrification and modernization and has helped communities develop detailed plans for managing this transition. 

Read the whole article, "EVs Bring Big Shifts to Construction of Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Charging Networks," in the November 27, 2023, issue of Engineering News-Record.