EP-ACT - Drive Electric PA

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Overview

Drive Electric Pennsylvania is part of Drive Electric USA, a Department of Energy-funded project comprised of Clean Cities Coalitions, electric vehicle groups, and other committed partners from fourteen states. This project engages individuals, utilities, legislators, dealerships and others towards removing adoption barriers and accelerating plug-in electric vehicle use throughout the United States.

The transportation sector produces the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Considering the majority of these emissions are sourced from passenger-duty vehicles, driving electric is one of the best ways to combat this issue. EVs produce less harmful pollution than gasoline and diesel vehicles and will continue to grow cleaner as our power generation become cleaner. Additionally, EVs are affordable and convenient, not to mention fun! Take a look around this site and learn how EVs can help your budget, the community and the planet, now and in the future.

Roadmap Summary

The strategies identified in this roadmap are intended to collectively represent a feasible yet high impact pathway to overcome key barriers and accelerate EV market development in Pennsylvania. Together, the proposed strategies address barriers facing EV drivers, single family home residents, multi-family home residents, workplaces, fleets, utilities, dealers, and other key stakeholders. The implementation pathway for each strategy can be adapted to lower or higher levels of effort as EV technologies, costs, and the commonwealth’s policy and political context change over time.

The strategies identified in this roadmap collectively address key indicators of leading EV markets, including increasing public EVSE availability, increasing EV model availability by working to support and incentivize dealers, expanding the availability of financial incentives for EV purchases, and increasing education levels and awareness amongst multiple market segments. This set of strategies, combined with potential EV technology advancement, is likely to jumpstart Pennsylvania’s EV market far beyond its current deployment level.

As DEP, the commonwealth, and the Coalition work to implement these strategies, evaluating the impact of these policies and conducting pilot tests will be important to adapt the strategies over time to the changing EV market. This plan hopes to help the commonwealth seek out a more ambitious pathway towards adoption of EVs.

Drive Electric PA Coalition

The DEP Energy Programs Office and DOE Clean Cities organizations began collaborating in 2016 with stakeholders statewide in a planning process intended to increase the acceptance and adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by state government agencies, local governments, businesses, industry, and the general public in Pennsylvania. The Coalition identified barriers to EV use in Pennsylvania and the most effective ways to overcome them. The result was the Pennsylvania EV Roadmap, and it’s counterpart, the 2021 Update. The Coalition meets quarterly is chaired by the DEP. Both EPACT and PRCC support DEPA through education and promotional opportunities and run local chapters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.