Policy statement 566 - Infrastructure Facilities for Electric Vehicles

Approved by the Transportation Policy Committee on February 25, 2026
Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on April 29, 2026
Adopted by the Board of Direction on July 21, 202

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports the planning, design, and construction of electric vehicles (EVs) infrastructure as part of a comprehensive and integrated multimodal transportation system (i.e., providing travelers with multiple travel choices). ASCE encourages

the development of a coordinated and consistent regulatory framework that advances transportation electrification while safeguarding grid reliability, affordability, and public safety.

ASCE supports:

• Establishing reliable funding sources to support the integration of EV infrastructure into existing and planned transportation facilities.
• Developing guidelines for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to include:
  o Equitable distribution of EV charging stations (EVCS) to reduce access disparities.
  o Standards that ensure compatibility across vehicle types and charging systems, while maintaining flexibility to accommodate future technological advancement. 
  o Planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of the transportation and energy system to ensure effective integration of EV infrastructure.
  o Updates to building codes, zoning regulations, and standards to include requirements for EV infrastructure.
• Advancing technologies to reduce charging times and enhancing user convenience, consistent with system capacity and safety considerations 
• Ensuring the availability of accurate, real-time digital information on charging stations’ locations, operation status, and pricing to support efficient system use. 
• Incorporating life-cycle cost analysis into the planning and evaluation of EV infrastructure.

Issue

EVs are becoming increasingly prevalent across the nation’s transportation system. This transformation introduces institutional, regulatory, fiscal, technical, and operational challenges that require coordinated planning, engineering, and policy responses. As EV adoption reduces reliance on petroleum fuel, revenue streams that traditionally support the Highway Trust Fund will continue to decline, creating long-term funding challenges for infrastructure maintenance and modernization. Sustainable and equitable alternative funding mechanisms will be necessary to preserve system performance while ensuring that costs are distributed fairly among users. 

Reliable and user-centered charging infrastructure depends on technical standardization and operational transparency. Proprietary charging systems are not uniformly compatible across plug-in hybrid, battery-electric, and fuel cell vehicles, which can hinder market efficiency and public confidence. Consistent technical standards and open communication protocols are essential to ensure interoperability. Drivers also require real-time information on charging station location, availability, pricing, and operational status to support trip planning and enable timely maintenance response. Such information also enables system operators to detect outages and coordinate timely maintenance and repairs. Without dependable data systems and performance reliability, infrastructure expansion alone will not meet public expectations. 

Equitable and efficient electrification requires both technological advancement and balanced geographic deployment. Charging durations remain longer than conventional refueling times, affecting system throughput and user convenience, and continued innovation is needed to reduce these gaps. Future investment must also broaden the distribution of charging infrastructure to serve all regions and populations. Deployment strategies should strengthen mobility access rather than exacerbate existing disparities. 

Rationale

Integrating charging networks within existing roadway corridors and power distribution systems requires coordinated engineering analysis that includes electrical load, grid capacity, site design, corridor geometry, and lifecycle performance. As EV adoption increases, infrastructure must be designed to accommodate scalable demand, evolving technology standards, and system interoperability while maintaining safety and operational reliability. 

ASCE advances infrastructure planning, design, construction, and maintenance practices across transportation and energy sectors. It develops technical guidance, promotes nationally recognized standards, and supports resilience and lifecycle-based infrastructure management. Through this expertise, ASCE contributes objective engineering leadership to ensure that EV infrastructure deployment is technically sound, economically sustainable, compatible with future expansion, and accessible across diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts. 

ASCE Policy Statement 566 
First Approved in 2023

Other ASCE policies pertaining to EV infrastructure are:
PS 537 - Complete Streets 
PS 484 - Electricity generation and transmission infrastructure 
PS 489 - Energy policy  
PS 299 - Infrastructure investment