Recently Pennsylvania created a plan to put more electric vehicles on the road. Together with the Pennsylvania Departments of General Services, Conservation, and Natural Resources, the Public Utility and Turnpike Commissions, and PennDOT, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) formed Pennsylvania’s Electric Vehicle Roadmap, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
The Roadmap was announced in February of this year. According to local news source Buck Local News, DEP’s 2018 Greenhouse Gas Inventory reported that “transportation generates 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania.” There are still only 15,000 EVs in a state with eight million cars on the road. In reaction, the state came up with a plan to solve the problem.
The Electric Vehicle Roadmap
The goal of the Pennsylvania Electric Vehicle Roadmap is to create a pathway to get 3 out of 10 cars electric by 2033. This would generate over $2.8 billion in benefits, along with hundreds of green jobs, and a reduction in respiratory illnesses in the state.
According to The Times online, the report outlines seven strategies for increasing the number of EVs on the road. The strategies include building more charging stations, creating maps for residents to locate current stations, developing EV sales goals, outreach programs to dealerships, an education plan for consumers, combating range anxiety, and an increase in EV infrastructure. The report also includes lesser-known strategies, such as such as “encouraging more so-called ‘time of use’ electric rate designs to encourage people to charge their vehicles overnight.”
Not only would this initiative improve air quality and create jobs, consumers will save money in the long run by choosing an EV. According to Energy.gov, EVs cost about half as much as gas-powered vehicles to own and operate.
Due to this program Blink is offering Pennsylvania customers an opportunity for a turnkey solution for new host locations or those looking to add to existing EVSE on their properties. The Blink partnership provides host locations free equipment and reduced or in some instances, no cost, installation of the charging stations. This unique partnership opportunity ensures Pennsylvania EV drivers have ample opportunity to charge their EVs while property owners can provide a much-needed amenity to customers. To learn more about the Blink Pennsylvania Partnership please contact Blink at PArebate@blinkcharging.com or 888.988.BLINK.
Pennsylvania’s Electric Vehicle Roadmap creates a path to a greener future and sets a precedent for more states to follow.