Accelerating the Adoption of Electric Vehicles
DRIVE Electric USA will fully develop 14 state-based “Drive Electric” programs that will engage individuals, utilities, legislators, dealerships and others towards removing adoption barriers and accelerating plug-in electric vehicle use in our states.
Project Overview
Participating States
The Project & Team
In early 2020, staff from East Tennessee Clean Fuels (ETCF) and Clean Fuels Ohio (CFO) opined, “what if we could get a significant number of largely flyover states together to share in developing plans for building effective Drive Electric programs in all our states?” That question turned into the DRIVE Electric USA proposal that was selected and awarded by the US Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office in summer 2020.
The project runs from October 2020 through December 2023 and is comprised of a group of diverse stakeholders, including Clean Cities Coalitions from fourteen states, electric vehicle and EVSE OEMs, and other committed partners who are dedicated to raising awareness and adoption of EVs across the United States. We will use our states as great and dissimilar examples of how to successfully build statewide, successful EV efforts to drive the purchase and use of EVs of all sizes and by general citizens and fleets.
In order to accomplish this goal, project leaders and implementers will educate consumers, utilities, utility regulators, and government officials while engaging auto dealers and fleet leaders, conducting EV infrastructure planning, and developing local EV chapters. All of this will occur under the banner of each branded, statewide EV initiative which will be guided by that state’s stakeholders.
The DRIVE Electric USA project will create a replication playbook based on outputs and lessons learned and build successful long-term continuation through funding and partnerships. Additionally, a 28-member Project Advisory Committee (PAC) will provide input and guide the coalitions and their statewide efforts to break down barriers as quickly as we can towards accelerating EV adoption in our states.
Of the Clean Cities coalitions that are partners in our project states… nine partner coalitions are led by Clean Cities Hall of Fame inductees, and ten coalition’s leaders have been operating their coalitions for 10 years or more. Learn more about our statewide initiatives and who is leading each state’s efforts in the boxes below.
Priority Areas
1) Statewide Branded EV Programs
The Project will create strong statewide branded EV programs, each guided by a committee of EV stakeholders and encompassing locally based chapters. These programs will attract support and resources, coordinate action across all other Priority Areas, and increase positive exposure.
2) Consumer Education & Local Chapter Development
Directly educate at least 14,000 consumers (average of 1,000+ per state) through direct participation in EV Ride-and-Drives (R&Ds) and other tactics. Develop and support local EV chapters (at least two per state) to coordinate R&Ds based on specific event models. Gather and analyze participant surveys.
3) Utility and Regulator Engagement
Educate state utility regulators, plus investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative utilities in 14 states. Base education on evolving best practices for utility EV programs and benefits of transportation electrification for all stakeholders, including non-EV owning utility customers. Conduct seminars, forums, R&Ds and other convenings for utilities, regulators and stakeholders in the sector.
4) EV Charging Infrastructure Planning
Conduct gap analyses and develop or update plans for EV charging infrastructure in each of the 14 Partnership states at statewide, regional and community levels. Use analyses to educate a wide range of stakeholders and plan deployment of EVSE at all levels and site types in each state.
5) State and Local Government Officials Education
Educate government officials in all 14 Partnership states. At the state level, focus on best practices for incentive programs for vehicles and infrastructure, state building codes, weights and measures issues for public EVSE, among others. At the local level, focus on guidance for charging in public rights of way, signage and parking enforcement, local building codes, and government fleet electrification.
6) Dealer Engagement – Develop Preferred Dealer Programs
Develop “preferred” EV dealer programs in 14 states, then secure forty or more preferred dealers total, with at least two per state. Build web-based platforms to help channel interested EV purchasers to preferred dealers. Partner with “low touch” Internet- based retailers that sell EVs, especially in portions of states still underserved by supportive dealers.
7) Fleet Engagement & EV Adoption
Meet with personnel from 560 fleets across all Partnership states, then drive EV adoption in an average of at least 10 fleets per state.
State EV Progress by the Numbers
| State | Population | Registered EVs | DC Fast Charge Stations | Level 2 Charging Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4,903,185 | NA | 20 | 141 |
| Colorado | 5,758,736 | 357,504 | 125 | 870 |
| Florida | 21,477,737 | 187,939 | 223 | 1,572 |
| Georgia | 10,617,423 | NA | 148 | 856 |
| Kansas | 2,913,314 | NA | 29 | 194 |
| Louisiana | 4,648,794 | NA | 12 | 114 |
| Missouri | 6,137,428 | NA | 65 | 422 |
| N. Carolina | 10,488,084 | NA | 95 | 641 |
| Ohio | 11,689,100 | NA | 117 | 512 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,801,989 | NA | 91 | 637 |
| Tennessee | 6,833,174 | NA | 58 | 396 |
| Utah | 3,205,958 | NA | 66 | 392 |
| Virginia | 8,535,519 | 52,407 | 122 | 616 |
| Wisconsin | 5,822,434 | 10,635 | 45 | 239 |
Project Sponsors
PAC Members
We very much appreciate the time, advice and energy of our Project Advisory Committee members! Some entities are providing one staff member while some others are providing two or three – we currently have 54 advisors in the PAC. The PAC will primarily provide advice into the project and to our state partners via Priority Area-focused webinars and calls wherein we will discuss overarching, important issues but also delve into the specifics of what is going on in our states with regard to that specific topic. We look forward to distilling USABLE ideas and tips that will be implemented in each state!
- Fermata Energy
- FORTH
- Generation 180
- Greenlots
- Green Energy Consumers
- Lipschultz Energy and Communications Consulting LLC
- National Association of State Energy Officials | NASEO
- National Automobile Dealers Association
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
Participating State Drive Electric Programs
Drive Electric Tennessee
East Tennessee Clean Fuels
www.DriveElectricTN.org
Virginia Salazar Buda
[email protected]
Drive Electric Alabama
Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition
WEBSITE COMING
Mark Bentley
[email protected]
Drive Electric Colorado
Denver Metro Clean Cities
www.DriveElectricColorado.org
Bonnie Trowbridge
[email protected]
Drive Electric Florida
Central Florida Clean Cities
www.DriveElectricFlorida.org
Colleen Kettles
[email protected]
Drive Electric Georgia
Clean Cities-Georgia
WEBSITE COMING
Frank Morris
[email protected]
Drive Electric Kansas
Kansas City Regional Clean Cities & Central Kansas Clean Cities
WEBSITE COMING
Kelly Gilbert & Tami Alexander
[email protected], [email protected]
Drive Electric Louisiana
Louisiana Clean Fuels
www.DriveElectricLA.com
Ann Vail
[email protected]
Drive Electric Missouri
St. Louis Clean Cities & Kansas City Regional Clean Cities
WEBSITE COMING
Kevin Herdler & Kelly Gilbert
[email protected], [email protected]
Drive Electric Pennsylvania
Eastern PA – Alliance for Clean Transportation
www.DriveElectricPA.org
Tony Bandiero
[email protected]
Utah B.E.E.Z.
Utah Clean Cities
WEBSITE COMING
Tammie Bostick
[email protected]
Virginia EV
Virginia Clean Cities
www.virginiaev.org
Matt Wade
[email protected]
Drive Electric Wisconsin
Wisconsin Clean Cities
WEBSITE COMING
Lorrie Lisek
[email protected]
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We appreciate the DOE and its Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy for selecting our project and allowing us to build such a collaborative opportunity. We look forward to showing you our achievements and advancements over the coming years!
