Climate action accelerated: South Bend engages community on local EV charging infrastructure

Out of approximately 6.5 million vehicles registered in Indiana, around 2% are hybrid electric or all-electric vehicles (EVs). That percentage needs to rise quickly over the next couple decades if Hoosier communities are to meet the transportation sector goals outlined in their climate action plans. 

To encourage more Indiana residents to swap their combustion engines for electric motors, the City of South Bend launched an informational website on EVs this summer that includes: 

• A community EV infrastructure plan 

• An interactive map of local charging stations 

• Videos of Michiana drivers talking about why they drive EVs 
• A public EV charging survey 

The resource is an outcome of South Bend’s participation in the IU Environmental Resilience Institute’s 2024 Resilience Cohort program. As a member of the program’s climate action accelerator track, local government staff in South Bend’s Office of Sustainability received training in “Strategic Doing,” a framework for tackling complex problems, like community climate action, where solutions require extensive collaboration. 

After receiving the training, city staff decided to apply Strategic Doing to the transportation goals outlined in South Bend’s climate action plan, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

“With transportation being the source of 29% of our city’s emissions, we thought this was a worthy test case for Strategic Doing, with its emphasis on collaboration, communication, and project milestones,” said Alex Bazán, South Bend’s Director of Sustainability. “The framework really helped us rethink how we do things as an office and how we can improve things we already do.”

IU Bloomington student Joshua Lemrow, a 2024 McKinney Climate Fellow and longtime South Bend resident, supported the city’s climate action accelerator efforts during the summer, engaging community members for their input on public EV charging stations, writing a blog post on the benefits of EV adoption, coordinating with the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), and creating an online survey. So far, the survey has garnered nearly 100 responses, providing feedback that is guiding placement of new EV charging stations in the community.

In addition to his contributions to EV infrastructure planning, Lemrow also had the opportunity to represent the South Bend Office of Sustainability at community events and through work supporting the city’s Climate Action Ambassadors program.  

“One of the best parts of my fellowship was being able to talk to people about the city’s sustainability efforts at farmers’ markets and public events,” Lemrow said. “In order for South Bend to achieve its climate goals, it’s really important that we get as many people involved in the process as we can.”

About the Environmental Resilience Institute

Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute connects a broad coalition of government, business, nonprofit, and community leaders to help Indiana and the Midwest better prepare for the challenges of environmental change. Together, we integrate research, education, and community to create environmental resilience and climate solutions—building a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.