A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONWIDE ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) CHARGING RECOGNITION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CHARGINGSMART) THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE SOFT COSTS (BOTH AC LEVEL 2 AND DC FAST CHARGING) OF NEW EV CHARGING INSTALLATIONS IMPLEMENTED ACROSS THE NATIONAL CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM (CHARGING SMART) TO ASSIST LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN SETTING AND ACHIEVING EQUITABLE EV-READINESS GOALS, STREAMLINING REGULATORY PRACTICES, AND FACILITATING THE ADOPTION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND CHARGING STATIONS.