Electric Mobility

Communities across the country — including ours — are making the transition to new transportation options that run on electricity.

What is electric mobility?

Electric mobility options include all transportation technologies that run on all-electric motors, including electric cars, transit buses, school buses, bikes, and scooters. Transportation electrification refers to the transition from internal combustion engines and gas-powered vehicles to these new electric mobility options and the necessary charging infrastructure. See this factsheet from the Minnesota Clean Cities Coalition for more information.

We are already seeing electric mobility examples in our community. For example:

• Bird scooter rentals have been available in Brooklyn Park since July 2021.
• Osseo Area Schools, which serves part of Brooklyn Park, was among the first districts in Minnesota to add electric school buses.
• Metro Transit currently operates eight electric buses and has plans to purchase more.

Project timeline

Summer 2023

The city is partnering with 1 Day At A Time (1DAAT), Community Partnership Collaborative 2.0, and Minnesota Institute for Nigerian Development (MIND) to conduct a series of community workshops and share a community-wide questionnaire about electric mobility priorities and community engagement.

Fall/Winter 2023

The project team will review and analyze engagement results to develop a list of community priorities for electric mobility. Results from the project will be shared with communities and stakeholders – like MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council – to inform future plans and projects and to create a better feedback loop between community engagement and project planning.

Project background

The project team consists of City of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin County, 1 Day At A Time (1DAAT), Community Partnership Collaborative 2.0, Minnesota Institute for Nigerian Development, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Minnesota Clean Cities Coalition, and Great Plains Institute. The project is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) pilot program.

Communities LEAP aims to facilitate sustained community-wide economic and environmental benefits in 24 communities, primarily through DOE’s clean energy deployment work. This opportunity is specifically open to low-income, energy-burdened communities – referred to as energy justice communities – that are also experiencing direct environmental justice impacts and/or economic impacts from a shift away from a historical reliance on fossil fuels.

Hennepin County’s Communities LEAP project focuses specifically on developing an equitable community engagement model to inform local decisions relating to electric mobility. To counter historical environmental inequities, Hennepin County is partnering with Brooklyn Park to co-develop this project.

Two primary goals

1. A community-guided list of electric mobility priorities: This list will likely consist of specific projects and principles that energy justice communities want, and will be shared with city, county, and state agencies to guide decisions about the type and location of future transportation electrification projects.

   Read the background report that describes electric mobility options and what factors Brooklyn Park may wish to consider to support implementation of those options.

2. A model for equitable community engagement: A replicable and scalable model for community engagement can support more equitable transportation planning and decision-making. The model will provide a framework for ongoing community-informed decision-making, and a feedback loop for accountability, that transparently demonstrates to residents how their voices are guiding the type and location of transportation electrification projects.

Why are we working on this project?

The high environmental and financial costs of the existing transportation system negatively affect the health and well-being of all Americans, especially those in energy justice communities. Major federal investments that aim to advance affordable and equitable clean transportation have created an unprecedented opportunity to address these inequities.

In response to this opportunity, Hennepin County, Brooklyn Park, and partners want to ensure these investments benefit all residents according to their needs and priorities.

Contact information

Tim Pratt
tim.pratt@brooklynpark.org
763-493-8120