Charles River Associates (CRA) Announces Successful RFP and Procurement for Indiana’s Crossroads EV Corridor

Planned Statewide Network of EV Charging Stations to Encourage Electric Vehicle Use

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRAI), a worldwide leader in providing economic, financial, and management consulting services, today announced a successful request for proposal (RFP) and procurement process on behalf of the Indiana Utility Group Consortium for its Crossroads EV Corridor, a planned network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Indiana to encourage the use of electric vehicles and improve air quality for all Hoosiers and visitors.

CRA designed and ran the procurement for the Consortium, which was organized by Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO). 17 entities responded to the RFP, offering a wide array of EVSE technology, configurations, and EV charging networks. The successful vendor in the RFP was Shell Recharge, which will deploy a combination of Tritium and ABB DC fast-charging equipment, subject to the needs of the specific utility site, and will be managed by Greenlots SKY EV charging network software.

“The number of equipment options proposed and network software solutions that are now available in the market was certainly eye-opening,” said Dean Koujak, a Principal at Charles River Associates, who led the RFP process on behalf of the Consortium. “To us, this is a clear indication that EV supply equipment technology and commercial availability has matured. This is the right time for electric utilities, municipalities and other entities to consider large-scale procurement and deployment of EV charging networks.”

“The Consortium members benefitted greatly from aggregating their needs and in following a systematic process to matching respondent offers,” said Jim McMahon, Vice President in CRA’s Energy Practice. “I believe the Consortium members ultimately identified the least-cost options that satisfied their functional needs today and into the future.”

The Corridor is supported by grants from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, which is the Beneficiary Lead Agency of the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust fund and oversees distributions of funds to successful applicants.

The Indiana Utility Group Consortium includes AES Indiana, CenterPoint Energy Indiana South, Crawfordsville Electric Light & Power (CEL&P), Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative (REC), Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WVPA), and NIPSCO. The first tranche of EV chargers is expected to come online by December 2022 and the last tranche is expected to be in service by December 2023.

About CRA’s Energy Practice

CRA’s Energy Practice blends decades of industry knowledge with world-class economic and analytical expertise. Investors, executives, and litigators from across the energy sector have turned to CRA for expert advice in hundreds of successful engagements. CRA’s expertise is grounded in a comprehensive understanding of the energy sector, including electricity and gas markets, litigation and regulatory support, market analytics and strategy, energy asset and enterprise valuation, and energy trading and risk management.

About Charles River Associates (CRA)

Charles River Associates® is a leading global consulting firm specializing in economic, financial, and management consulting services. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its unique combination of functional expertise and industry knowledge, and for its objective solutions to complex problems. Headquartered in Boston, CRA has offices throughout the world. Detailed information about Charles River Associates, a registered trade name of CRA International, Inc., is available at www.crai.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

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