Accelerating the Adoption of Electric Vehicles

DRIVE Electric USA will fully develop 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.

East Tennessee Clean Fuels and Clean Fuels Ohio logos

Project Overview

Participating States

Original 14 states as well as potential new states
DRIVE Electric USA logo

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 35-company 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.

In September 2021, we began allowing other states to start joining our monthly conversations, towards an end that would be additional funding to allow them the same opportunities to develop statewide partnerships and work on all of the Priority Areas that are shown below. Numerous states joined in and we are excited about seeking new funding in late 2022 to them start driving their state EV initiatives! Expect to continue seeing the above map grow as more states join the effort to Drive Electric!

Of the Clean Cities coalitions that are partners in our project states… 10 partner coalitions are led by Clean Cities Hall of Fame inductees, and thirteen 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.

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Project Sponsors

DRIVE Electric USA

Orange EV logo

Orange EV’s pure-electric terminal trucks are a ‘beachhead’ technology – they can help us expand use of pure EVs in HD applications. Orange EV’s commercially deployed fleet has achieved unparalleled milestones – including uptime performance – in terminal truck operations. As of November 2021, the deployed Orange EV fleet has surpassed 1.1 million hours and 3.7 million miles of operation. The T-Series is meeting the most rigorous duty cycles and 24×7 shift schedules in container handling operations across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Visit their website at www.orangeev.com.

DRIVE Electric USA

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!

Participating State Drive Electric Programs

Drive Electric Tennessee

East Tennessee Clean Fuels
www.DriveElectricTN.org
Jonathan Overly
jonathan@etcleanfuels.org

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Drive Electric Ohio logo

Drive Electric Ohio

Clean Fuels Ohio
www.DriveElectricOhio.org
Megan Stein
megan@cleanfuelsohio.org

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Drive Electric AL logo

Drive Electric Alabama

Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition
www.DriveElectricAlabama.org
Mark Bentley
mark@alabamacleanfuels.org

Drive Electric Colorado logo

Drive Electric Colorado

Drive Clean Colorado
www.DriveElectricColorado.org
Bonnie Trowbridge
bonnie@drivecleanco.org

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Drive Electric Florida logo

Drive Electric Florida

University of Central Florida
www.DriveElectricFlorida.org
Colleen Kettles
ckettles@fsec.ucf.edu

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Drive Electric Georgia logo

Drive Electric Georgia

Clean Cities-Georgia
www.DriveElectricGeorgia.org
Frank Morris
frank@cleancitiesgeorgia.org

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Electrify Kansas logo

Electrify Kansas

Kansas City Regional Clean Cities & Central Kansas Clean Cities
ElectrifyHeartland.org
Brandt Hertenstein & Tami Alexander
brandt@metroenergy.org, tami@metroenergy.org

DriveElectricLA logo

Drive Electric Louisiana

Louisiana Clean Fuels
www.DriveElectricLA.com
Ann Vail
ann@louisianacleanfuels.org

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Electrify Missouri logo

Electrify Missouri

St. Louis Clean Cities & Kansas City Regional Clean Cities
ElectrifyHeartland.org
Kevin Herdler & Brandt Hertenstein
clnfuel@gmail.com, brandt@metroenergy.org

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plug-in nc

Triangle Clean Cities
www.pluginnc.org
Sean Flaherty
sflaherty@tjcog.org

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Drive Electric Pennsylvania logo

Drive Electric Pennsylvania

Eastern PA - Alliance for Clean Transportation
www.DriveElectricPA.org
Tony Bandiero
tbandiero@ep-act.org

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Drive Electric Utah logo

Drive Electric Utah

Utah Clean Cities
www.DriveElectricUtah.org
Tammie Bostick
tammie.bostick@
utahcleancities.org

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Drive Electric Virginia logo

Virginia EV

Virginia Clean Cities
www.VirginiaEV.org
Matt Wade
mwade@vacleancities.org

Drive Electric Wisconsin logo

Drive Electric Wisconsin

Wisconsin Clean Cities
www.DriveElectricWisconsin.org
Lorrie Lisek
lorrie.lisek@wicleancities.org

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Connecticut Initiative

Capitol Clean Cities of Connecticut
www.kentuckycleanfuels.org
Craig Peters
craigpeters82@gmail.com

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Indiana Initiative

South Shore Clean Cities
www.missionelectric.org
Carl Lisek
clisek@southshorecleancities.org

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Kentucky Initiative

Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition
www.kentuckycleanfuels.org
Emily Carpenter
ecarpenter@kentuckycleanfuels.org

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Michigan Initiative

Michigan Clean Cities
www.michigancleancities.org
Maggie Striz Calnin
maggie@michigancleancities.org

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Drive Electric Minnesota

Great Plains Institute / MN Clean Cities
www.driveelectricmn.org
Lisa Thurstin
lisa.thurstin@lung.org

Mission Electric

Empire Clean Cities
www.missionelectric.org
Joy Gardner
joy@empirecleancities.org

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Oklahoma EV logo

Oklahoma Initiative

Central Oklahoma Clean Cities
www.okcleancities.org
Eric Pollard
epollard@acogok.org

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Drive Electric Washington

Drive Electric Washington
www.driveelectricwa.org
Michael Graham
michael@wwcleancities.org

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Wyoming Initiative

Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities
www.ytcleancities.org
Alicia Cox
alicia@ytcleancities.org

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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! 

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