FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2020

Contacts

Save the Sound: Melissa Schlag, mschlag@savethesound.org^[1]

Sierra Club: Samantha Dynowski, samantha.dynowski@sierraclub.org^[2]

Final Electric Vehicle Roadmap released, Electric Vehicle Coalition weighs in
Coalition of clean energy advocates, businesses, labor, and environmental justice groups respond to final EV Roadmap

HARTFORD, CONN. – The Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection (DEEP) released Connecticut’s first Electric Vehicle Roadmap^[3] on Tuesday, the eve of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. 

Adoption of electric vehicles in Connecticut is
a critical climate mitigation strategy that will reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from the transportation sector. The Governor’s Council on Climate
Change (GC3) analysis projected that meeting the greenhouse gas emission
reduction targets mandated by Connecticut’s Global Warming Solutions Act will
depend on converting 20 percent of the statewide light-duty fleet, or 500,000
vehicles, to EVs by 2030. Reducing pollution from the state’s transportation
sector is also a critical public health issue. As noted in the American Lung
Association’s most recent “State of the Air Report,” every county in the state
received a failing grade for ground-level ozone pollution, which can trigger
asthma attacks in adults and children and exacerbate other respiratory
ailments.

The Connecticut Electric Vehicle Coalition
applauds DEEP for recognizing the importance of this issue, and taking steps
with the EV Roadmap to move towards an electrified transportation sector with
actionable items for the legislature, DEEP, the Public Utility Regulatory
Authority, and the Department of Administrative Services.

The CT EV Coalition calls for the swift
adoption, scaling-up, and implementation of four strategies identified in the
Roadmap:

• Increase
  Funding for Rebates – The most effective strategy to
  accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles is rebates, described as
  “essential” in the Roadmap. The CT EV Coalition urges the CHEAPR board to
  provide rebates for full electric vehicles at levels sufficient to support
  the state’s 2025 and 2030 deployment targets. Rebates under the state’s
  CHEAPR program were recently reduced to levels that will not support
  Connecticut’s EV goal, and this must be remedied.

• 100% ZEV
  State Fleet – Recognizing the many economic
  and educational benefits of increasing the use of EV’s by state agencies,
  the State of Connecticut should lead by example and purchase only zero
  emission light duty vehicles from this point forward. Exceptions should
  only be made for vehicles that do not have a zero emission alternative
  that satisfies the necessary performance requirements.

• Electric
  Vehicle Charging – The Roadmap identifies EV
  charging infrastructure as a priority, and the CT EV Coalition urges
  adoption of state-wide EV-ready building codes that will support at-home
  and public destination charging as part of a robust private and public
  charging infrastructure that encourages and supports wide-scale EV
  adoption.

• Transportation
  and Climate Initiative – In 2020, Connecticut should
  join with other states and adopt TCI, a regional program to cap
  transportation pollution and invest in clean alternatives including
  electric vehicles. Adoption of TCI is essential to ensuring adequate
  investment in our clean transportation infrastructure and addressing the
  needs of low-income and environmental justice communities by providing
  support for the electrification and expansion of public transit and
  increasing accessibility to clean transportation in the state’s urban and
  rural areas.  

Implementation of these four high-impact
strategies in 2020, combined with robust outreach and education efforts in
collaboration with community partners, will accelerate the necessary adoption
of electric vehicles in Connecticut.

The Electric Vehicle Roadmap is one of many
recommendations from Connecticut’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy. The current
Strategy, issued in February 2018, directed DEEP to develop a multifaceted plan
that identifies policies, programs, and strategies that Connecticut should
pursue to optimize deployment of electric vehicles and associated infrastructure.
Information about the Roadmap process is available on DEEP’s website^[4].

The Connecticut Electric Vehicle Coalition, a
diverse group of clean energy advocates, business groups, organized labor, and
environmental justice groups, is focused on electric vehicle policies and
creating a more strategic and ambitious strategy on zero emission vehicle
deployment. These strategies will help tackle climate change, improve the
state’s public health and air quality, and create economic development
opportunities. The Coalition has been actively participating in the Roadmap
process through formal
comments^[5] and public input
sessions.

###