Larisa Manescu, Sierra Club, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
Noah Barnes, Plug In America, nbarnes@pluginamerica.org
NATIONWIDE -- Today, the Sierra Club and Plug In America released an updated version of AchiEVe: Model Policies to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Adoption, a toolkit designed to accelerate the switch to clean, electric vehicles in an effective, sustainable, and equitable way by providing public officials and advocates with model EV policies at the state, local, transit, and utility levels. This year’s toolkit is the third edition of the toolkit, originally released in 2017, and it’s arriving right on time this year’s National Drive Electric Week.
The toolkit is a comprehensive resource with detailed examples from places around the nation where these policies are working. It includes information on expanding equity and access to EVs, expanding perks and incentives for EV adoption, electrifying public vehicle fleets, expanding charging access, evaluating EV registration fees, and promoting consumer education and protection.
From Sept. 14-22, local communities across the nation are celebrating the ninth annual National Drive Electric Week (NDEW), experiencing the thrill of EVs up close and personal and learning about their consumer benefits from EV owners first hand. Elected officials are hopping on board encouraging people to attend NDEW events, making proclamations -- like that of Governor Inslee’s of Washington State-- speaking to how gas guzzlers worsen climate change and air pollution and the need for clean transportation.
“Electric vehicles are an industry-wide inevitability, but what getting there looks like from one community to another may differ,” said Hieu Le, a campaign representative with the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign. “This toolkit offers a powerful set of guiding policies to get to the non-polluting clean transportation future our communities deserve in a way that is equitable. With links to dozens of model policies, it helps policy-makers looking to create new EV policies in their communities without having to recreate the wheel.”
“Electric vehicles are better for consumers, for communities, and for the planet,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America. “The toolkit provides a way for supporters of electric vehicles to build off of the enthusiasm and excitement for these clean vehicles beyond National Drive Electric Week and to engage with policymakers throughout the year to implement supportive policies that will grow EV adoption in every state.”
Read the full report at the PIA website here.
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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
About Plug In America: Plug In America is the nation’s leading independent consumer voice for accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. Formed as a non-profit in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information collected from our coalition of plug-in vehicle drivers, through public outreach and education, policy work and a range of technical advisory services. Our expertise represents the world’s deepest pool of experience of driving and living with plug-in vehicles. We drive electric. You can too. PlugInAmerica.org
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.