Challenge description

Houston has more than enough engineering, data science, and lobbying capital to support innovative solutions to mobility and traffic congestion. We challenge you to help the city become a leader in advanced transportation and new electric vehicle and energy technologies (e.g., bi-directional vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-home, and vehicle-to-building energy transactions).

Challenge vision

Affordability: Although most expect electric vehicles (EVs) to reach price parity with regular cars beginning in 2022, today the sticker price for an EV is still higher than a comparable ICEV, which prices out some buyers.

• EV shoppers in Houston need access to good financing for their vehicle purchases. A solution that connects EV shoppers with specialized financing and insurance options could unlock new value for the EV industry in Houston.

Awareness: Many people lack awareness of the pocketbook benefits of EVs, the subsidies available to EV purchasers, the environmental and health benefits of EVs, and the positive experience of driving an EV.  Awareness is a key driver for increasing EV adoption in a region.

• Consumers in Houston lack awareness of EV options, the experience of ownership, financial savings, and the environmental benefits of zero-emissions mobility. A company that promotes EV awareness and public education would be a natural partner for all companies involved in Houston’s e-mobility efforts.
• Consumers in Houston lack convenient options for EV shopping.  This situation could be improved with the creation of a brand-agnostic e-mobility center where EV shoppers could receive dedicated professional assistance while they interact with a range of EV models. 
• Many people and companies in Houston are passionate about e-mobility and willing to take personal action to forward the industry.  What’s needed is someone to organize all the interested stakeholders, to keep them engaged and informed, and to have them ready to contact their city, county, and state representatives to exert pressure in coordinated and highly-effective fashion.

Availability:

• Houston needs an “EVSE desert” map that highlights areas where EV charging is most needed (based on current residential and commercial centers and EV range), as well as the most beneficial (I.e., regions with poor air quality and disadvantaged or vulnerable communities).
• Houston needs more multi-modal forms of electrified transportation – EV car share, ride share, and first mile/last mile connections – to help make EVs available across all communities. 
• Houston needs an EV rental car company, so that when visitors flying into Houston will be greeted by options to travel around the city in an emissions-free manner.  An ideal complementary business model would be long-term EV loan programs, whereby consumers can try out an EV for a month. 
• Commercial fleets using large numbers of EV chargers need a solution to help them manage assets in an efficient manner that ensures price-per-mile fleets cost targets are achieved on a regular basis.
• Houston needs an EV charging station provider who can operate charging infrastructure suitable for transportation network providers.  This would most likely involve large fast-charging hubs at key sites (downtown, airports, and other key destinations)