National Drive Electric Week is this month!

September 2022 Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Electric Vehicle Fall Festival, September 18
Drive Electric Tidewater Event, September 24
Electrics & Expresso Richmond Car Meet, September 24
NAFA Fleet Legislative Summit, September 20 - 21
Virginia Clean Energy Summit, October 20 - 21

Click the events for more info!

National Drive Electric Week

National Drive Electric Week, September 23 through October 2, 2022, is a nationwide celebration to raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, trucks, motorcycles, e-bikes and more.

Virginia Clean Cities and DRIVE Electric Virginia will be attending and supporting several events throughout the week. We encourage you to click on the event links above to register and join the fun!

New workplace charging program launching - employers needed!

The U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office announced the winners of the “Low Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Technologies Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment” funding opportunity. Included in this round was a Topic Area of “Electric Vehicle Workplace Charging.” One of the announced winners was the EMPOWER proposal – “Equitable Mobility Powering Opportunities for Workplace Electrification Readiness.”

VCC will be working with Virginia employers and businesses to further workplace charging in Virginia. If your company is interested, please contact Bruce Vlk today!

Read about a B&B owner’s EV experience in rural Virginia

You don’t see many Teslas in Halifax County. “What do you like about it?” I get asked at the Food Lion parking lot in South Boston. “Is it really cheaper than using gasoline?” I’m asked at a church gathering.

We bought a Nissan Leaf electric car first after Tesla installed chargers at no cost to our bed & breakfast because there were so few chargers in the area. Let’s get an electric car too, we decided. They’ll definitely reduce our carbon footprint and save on gas, too.

FHWA announces carbon reduction

program funding opportunities

Join the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for a webinar on the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), a new funding program established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The CRP provides $6.4 billion in formula funding to states and metropolitan areas over the next five years for projects designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from on-road highway sources. During the webinars, staff from the FHWA Office of Natural Environment will provide information about the new program and answer questions from participants.

FHWA is offering two sessions of the webinar via Zoom; attendees only need to attend one. To register for a webinar please follow one of the links below:

September 15, 2022, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST

https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN__Z4Ags4VS1elf6jCKpEujg

September 21, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST

https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Cl4Dp7ANRT26306–IlpAA

Smart Charging Infrastructure Pilot Program deadline soon

The Smart Charging Infrastructure Pilot (or “SCIP”) Program supports electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Virginia and will inform the design of managed charging programs and other EV customer offerings in the future.

The SCIP Program provides rebates for qualifying EV charging stations, charging infrastructure and installation, commonly referred to as “make-ready,” and network fees. See rebate amounts in the table below. Deadline is November.

Save the Date!

2nd Annual DRIVE Electric Virginia Forum

Save the date! November 17th, starting at 3:00 pm! Join us again for a conversation with key stakeholders working to advance electric vehicles in Virginia.

Virginia Clean Cities hosted the Inaugural Drive Electric Virginia Forum in 2021 with an amazing lineup of speakers covering a wide range of topics on the current state of electric vehicles (EVs) in Virginia plus efforts underway to make EV adoption and charging accessible and equitable.

Check out last year's recording or read the post-event summary here!

EV infrastructure pilot continues,

chargers available

New Greenspot charging stations at Ashland Town Hall

The three-year Mid-Atlantic Electrification Partnership continues with great success in Virginia, Maryland, DC, and West Virginia. The first year has seen dozens of EV charging stations deployed, 25 EVs delivered for a new rideshare service, new mapping analysis tools developed and numerous educational events held online and in person.

If your local government or a local business is interested in federal grant-covered public charging stations, email Bruce Vlk for more information.

Virginia's NEVI Plan

With funding provided through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Commonwealth of Virginia is investing a projected $100 million over the next five years to install public electric vehicle charging stations across Virginia through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program.

Under the requirements of the NEVI Program, the initial phase of public charging stations will be located within one mile of Virginia's federally-designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (I-64, I-66, I-77, I-81, I-85, I-95, I-295, and I-495) to provide convenient and accessible charging to support the growing EV market in Virginia. In order to access this federal funding, VDOT was required to develop an EV Charging Infrastructure Deployment Plan by August 1, 2022.

Virginia Energy Plan seeks input

As directed by the Virginia General Assembly, every four years Virginia Energy develops a comprehensive Virginia Energy Plan. The Governor’s vision for the 2022 Plan is to develop a data-driven roadmap that considers all energy sources and is transparent with Virginians about the opportunities and costs each energy source presents while recognizing new information will continue to guide the process and decision-making over time.

The 2022 Energy Plan will provide energy policy recommendations that aim to balance the current and future needs of all Virginians, environmental goals, economic competitiveness, consumer choice and technology innovation.