Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
This week is National Drive Electric Week , a chance for the curious to get into the driver’s seat and test drive a plug-in electric vehicle. Organized by Plug In America, the Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association, there are events this week throughout California aimed to encourage more consumers into electric vehicles.
Because the transportation sector accounts for about 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and a significant amount of the emissions that form harmful smog pollution around the state, making the transition to cleaner zero-emissions vehicles is critical. Through its Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, authorized by Assembly Bill 8 (Perea/Skinner 2013), the California Energy Commission is working diligently to help speed this transition to a cleaner transportation fleet.
In fact, the Energy Commission has awarded more than $38 million in grants for over 8,600 electric chargers in California. This includes 3900 commercially accessible chargers, 3,800 residential chargers, 756 workplace chargers, and 107 DC Fast Chargers. The Energy Commission is also helping spur innovation in the medium and heavy duty vehicle space by investing $75 million for ZEV truck deployment, demonstration and manufacturing.
Just last month a driver purchased the 100,000th plug-in vehicle sold in California, building momentum toward achieving Gov. Brown's goal of having enough infrastructure to support 1.5 million electric cars on the road by 2025.
By building a refueling and charging infrastructure that’s convenient for drivers, California is leading the way for more drivers to opt in on a zero-emission vehicle and, by doing so, to help fight climate change.
Because the transportation sector accounts for about 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and a significant amount of the emissions that form harmful smog pollution around the state, making the transition to cleaner zero-emissions vehicles is critical. Through its Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, authorized by Assembly Bill 8 (Perea/Skinner 2013), the California Energy Commission is working diligently to help speed this transition to a cleaner transportation fleet.
In fact, the Energy Commission has awarded more than $38 million in grants for over 8,600 electric chargers in California. This includes 3900 commercially accessible chargers, 3,800 residential chargers, 756 workplace chargers, and 107 DC Fast Chargers. The Energy Commission is also helping spur innovation in the medium and heavy duty vehicle space by investing $75 million for ZEV truck deployment, demonstration and manufacturing.
Just last month a driver purchased the 100,000th plug-in vehicle sold in California, building momentum toward achieving Gov. Brown's goal of having enough infrastructure to support 1.5 million electric cars on the road by 2025.
By building a refueling and charging infrastructure that’s convenient for drivers, California is leading the way for more drivers to opt in on a zero-emission vehicle and, by doing so, to help fight climate change.
