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 U.S. DOE in summer 2020. That project is comprised of a wide variety of stakeholders, including Clean Cities Coalitions from fourteen states and a diverse set of other committed partners who are dedicated to raising awareness and adoption of EVs across the United States and in their states. We will use our states as great and dissimilar examples of how to successfully build statewide, successful EV efforts to accelerate the purchase and use of EVs of all sizes by general citizens and fleets.

Fast forward to 2023 where we have secured additional DOE funding to create the “DEUSA2” project that will add another 12 states and the District of Columbia to the original 14 – new total of 27. The new states will undertake tasks to drive engagement across our Priority Areas (our pillars of barrier busting) and towards developing branded, statewide initiatives that will drive EV outreach, education, and adoption.

In order to accomplish this entity development goal, project leaders and implementers have been and 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 is and will occur under the banner of each branded, statewide EV initiative which will be guided by that state’s stakeholders.

The first DRIVE Electric USA project is right now creating a Replication Playbook – based on outputs and lessons learned – and is developing successful, long-term continuation funding and partnerships. In the first project, a 35-company Project Advisory Committee (PAC) provide valuable input and guided the coalitions and their statewide efforts to accelerate the barrier-busting efforts.

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!