Technical Assistance and Resources for Tribal Nations
The Joint Office is facilitating the adoption of electrified transportation in collaboration with Tribal Nations by providing comprehensive technical assistance and resources.
This page offers general information about electric vehicles (EVs), access to technical assistance through the Joint Office and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, and current funding opportunities available to Tribal Nations for electrified transportation.
Technical Assistance
The Joint Office provides technical assistance to Tribal Nations on the planning and implementation of a national network of EV chargers and zero-emission fueling infrastructure, as well as zero-emission transit and school buses.
DOE’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs provides technical assistance for advancing Tribal energy projects to federally recognized Tribes, including Alaska Native communities, Tribal energy development organizations, and other organized Tribal groups and communities.
Additional technical assistance resources are also available at the links below:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Native Americans – Applicant Training and Technical Assistance Page
- U.S. Department of Transportation, Build America Bureau – Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program
- Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals – Tribal Clean Transportation Program (TCTP) Assistance Services Form
- U.S. Department of Interior - Indian Affairs, Division of Energy and Mineral Development – Technical and Business Advisory Services for Energy & Mineral Projects
- Electric Vehicle Charging Resources Postcard
National EV Initiative for Tribal Nations
The National Electric Vehicle Initiative for Tribal Nations is a multi-agency effort to ensure Tribes and Native communities are included in the EV future of the country. Ten participating agencies within the White House Council on Native American Affairs work in collaboration to support the goals of ensuring that federal resources for EV development are equitably shared and supportive of Tribal economies, and the physical buildout of a national EV network includes Tribal lands and Native communities.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Transportation
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. General Services Administration
View the recording of the National EV Initiative for Tribal Nations Webinar.
Tribal EV and Energy Storage Projects
Tribal Nations can benefit from EV development, including workforce development, increased economic development opportunities from offering EV charging, improved air quality, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Examples of Tribal EV and energy projects from nations are highlighted below.
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Cherokee Nation Solar Canopy Charging Station
The Nation’s solar canopy can charge up to eight EVs while also providing clean power to the Cherokee Nation complex.
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Chilkoot Indian Association EV Charging Site
The Chilkoot Indian Association will receive $1.4 million in Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) awards to construct an electric vehicle charging site located on the Haines Highway, adjacent to a local park, cruise ship terminal and oceanfront walking, and biking trails. In a community that faces a high cost of living, severe weather, and extreme geographic isolation, this project supports sustainable community economic development and renewable transportation resiliency.
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Clean School Bus Rebates Program 2022
28 school districts serving Tribal communities were selected to receive funding for the purchase of electric and low-emission school buses.
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Eastern Band of Cherokee Electric School Buses
Eastern Band of Cherokee was awarded a $5 million Clean School Bus Grant. The funds will be used for charging infrastructure and the purchase of fifteen electric school buses.
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Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan EV Infrastructure Program
The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan received a $4,000,000 FY 2023 Tribal Climate Resilience Award to carry out the Gun Lake Tribe Electric Infrastructure Implementation Project. Funds will be used for the purchase of various electric vehicles and the installation of solar infrastructure on the Tribal Government’s campus.
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Red Lake Nation Long-Duration Energy Storage Demonstration Project
Retired electric vehicle batteries will be utilized to provide demand reduction, load shifting, and resilience for the Tribe’s workforce development campus.
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San Carlos Apache Tribal Council EV Charging Sites
San Carlos Apache Tribal Council will receive $500,000 in Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) awards to install four EV charging station sites within the Reservation and one additional station in Safford, Arizona. The project will benefit the San Carlos, Peridot, and Bylas communities by providing healthier air quality, creating positive environmental impacts, stimulating the local economy, and providing necessary services.
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San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians EV Charger Installation
In partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric, the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians has completed installation of 10 new EV chargers bringing the total number up to nearly 100 charging station on Tribal lands.
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Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Electric Vehicles and Charging Site
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe celebrated the arrival of six electric vehicles and the installation of an electric vehicle charging station at Sitting Bull College. The charging station is part of a larger project crossing the upper Midwest and is funded in part by a $6.7 million grant from the U.S. DOE’s Vehicle Technology Office.
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Upper Midwest Inter-Tribal Electric Vehicle Charging Community Network
This project was initiated in 2022 with completion planned for 2025. The project will demonstrate EVs through a Native-led model program including 23 Native Nations. Objectives include creation of fast charging corridors to connect the tribal reservations with job centers, economic centers, and other critical services. This project is one of hundreds of projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office that advance affordable, domestic transportation fuels and technologies.
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Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Program
Wisconsin announced contingent awards for their Round 1 Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (WEVI) Program, through the NEVI Formula Program in May 2024 that included two awards to Tribal Nations. The Onieda Nation was awarded $405,892 for EV charging infrastructure at the Casino and the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe was awarded $409,602 for EV charging infrastructure at the FireSide Market convenience store.
Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility
In support of the national EV initiative, the U.S. Department of Transportation developed a toolkit to assist rural communities interested in EV-charging infrastructure. Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure is a comprehensive resource that can be used to identify key partners for a project, take advantage of relevant planning tools, and identify available project funding or financing.
Electric Mobility Basics
Tribes have a variety of options to consider pertaining to EV types and EV charging infrastructure to assist Tribal communities in meeting their clean energy and electrification goals. Section 2 of the Rural EV Toolkit includes an overview of electric mobility, electric transit, EV types, and EV charging infrastructure.
EV Infrastructure Planning for Tribal Nations
Section 5 of the Rural EV Toolkit describes the three levels of EV infrastructure planning: corridor level, community level, and site level. Planning for EV infrastructure development within Tribal lands may involve considerations across these levels. Tribes may consider corridor level planning to address infrastructure needs for travel corridors running through Tribal lands. Tribal governments may engage in community level planning when considering how to make EV options accessible for community members. Site level planning may be of interest to Tribes considering installation of EV charging stations at Tribal facilities and Tribal owned businesses.
Featured Resources
Educational Opportunities for Tribal Nations
There are numerous resources available to Tribal Nations for deploying zero-emission, convenient, accessible, equitable transportation infrastructure. Some examples are provided below:
- Community Benefits of Rural Vehicle Electrification
- Electric Vehicle Benefits and Considerations
- General Information on Electric Vehicles from the Alternative Fuels Data Center (including a short introductory video, case studies, and information on tax incentives)
- Catalogue of Laws and Incentives by State and Federal Programs from the Alternative Fuels Data Center
- General Information on Electric Vehicles from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- Federal Highway Administration’s Alternative Fuel Corridor (AFC) Designations
- U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center: Alternative Fueling Station Locator
- U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center: Electric Vehicles in Rural Communities
- U.S. General Services Administration – Fleet Electrification
- U.S. Department of Transportation – Benefits to Communities
- Federal Energy Management Program’s EV Champion Training Series
Past Webinars and Presentations
- Apr. 12, 2023 | Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program for Tribal Nation Audience—This webinar from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) includes an overview of the CFI Grant Program, available funding and program eligibility, application process, and selection, review, and submission process for Tribal Nations.
- Mar. 15, 2023 | National EV Initiative for Tribal Nations—This webinar from the White House Council on Native American Affairs presents an overview of the National EV Initiative for Tribal Nations, a major key initiative coming out of the 2022 White House Tribal Nation Summit.
- Sep. 15, 2022 | DOE Justice Week Webinar: Mapping Tools to Identify Underserved Communities—This webinar from the U.S. Department of Energy showcases mapping tools available to support Justice40 policy priorities.
- Jun. 24, 2022 | Joint Office of Energy and Transportation: Building Justice40 and Equity Considerations into State Plans—The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program asks states to consider equity in their planning process. Torrey Lyons and Monisha Shah from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation provided an overview of equity considerations for planning and deploying EV charging infrastructure. The webinar also covered the Justice40 Initiative and how it relates to the NEVI Formula Program and state plans.
- Jun. 22, 2022 | Environmental Protection Agency: Electric and Clean School Bus Infrastructure by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation—This presentation provided an overview of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Program and availability of funding to convert school bus fleets to clean and zero-emission models.
- Mar. 17, 2022 | Federal Transit Administration: Low or No Emission Grant and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program—This presentation was used by Federal Transit Administration staff in a series of webinars beginning March 2022 for potential applicants to the fiscal year 2022 Low or No Emission Grants and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities consolidated Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Jul. 28, 2021 | 2021 Tribal Energy Webinar Series: Electric Vehicles: Opportunities and Challenges—This webinar from the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs presents opportunities and challenges that come with the transition to EVs.
- Oct. 21, 2020 | Tribal Transportation Program: Tribal Transportation Planning—This TTP 101 webinar is intended for transportation employees new to the TTP or those that need a refresher. This webinar provides an overview of the Tribal Transportation Planning processes and documents required to deliver the TTP.
- Sep. 16, 2020 | Tribal Transportation Program: Tribal Transportation Program Overview—The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Tribal Transportation administers the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP). This TTP 101 webinar is intended for transportation employees new to the TTP or those that need a refresher.
- May 2020 | Tribal Transportation Program: Grant Writing—The webinar presents on tying the planning process to grant writing and development of a "vital statistics" data set. In addition, the webinar includes a presentation on dashboarding safety data.
- Apr. 29, 2020 | Tribal Transportation Program: Finance and Innovative Financing—The webinar provided a discussion of the various tools, expertise, and financing available to the tribal transportation community to explore and implement innovative financial strategies to deliver projects.