Electric Vehicles

News and Updates

Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Pledge

Join top companies such as 3M, Coca-Cola, Dell, General Electric, Google, Siemens, and Ford in signing the Workplace Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Pledge.

Employers across the country are beginning to offer plug-in electric vehicle charging access in workplace parking lots. In order to support the deployment of workplace charging infrastructure, the Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Workplace Charging Challenge, with the goal of a tenfold increase in U.S. employer EV charging in the next five years.

Partners who sign the Workplace Charging Pledge will:

• Commit to assess employee charging demand and develop a plan to install charging stations.
• Take action by implementing a plan to install charging stations for their employees.
• Share progress on achieving plan milestones over time, as well as best practices.

Installing EV workplace charging is a sign of corporate leadership, showing a willingness to adopt advanced technology as well as increasing consumer exposure and access to EV charging opportunities. Employer-provided EV charging also serves as an appealing employee benefit that can help attract and retain a cutting-edge workforce. It also enhances corporate sustainability efforts and can be a valuable complement to employee energy education and reduction plans.

Employers who sign the Pledge will have access to DOE technical assistance, informational resources, and an information forum. Additionally, successes made by those who undertake the Pledge will be recognized and their best practices will be identified and disseminated.

To learn more about the Workplace Charging Pledge or if you’re ready to sign on, please contact Steve Linnell or Jennifer Puser at (207) 774-9891.

Thirteen Major Companies Join Energy Department’s Workplace Charging Challenge

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced 13 major U.S. employers and eight stakeholder groups have joined the new Workplace Charging Challenge to help expand access to workplace charging stations for American workers across the country. The Workplace Charging Pledge as partners include: 3M, Chrysler Group, Duke Energy, Eli Lilly and Company, Ford, GE, GM, Google, Nissan, San Diego Gas & Electric, Siemens, Tesla, and Verizon. The pledge commits each partner organization to assess workforce PEV charging demands, and then develop and implement a plan to install workplace charging infrastructure for at least one major worksite location.

The Workplace Charging Challenge is a collaborative effort to increase the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging by tenfold in the next five years. The Challenge also supports the broader efforts of the Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, announced by President Obama in March 2012, to make PEVs as affordable and convenient for the American family as gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 10 years.

Eight stakeholder organizations also have signed the Ambassador Pledge to develop and execute plans to support and promote the workplace charging initiative, including: California PEV Collaborative, CALSTART, Electric Drive Transportation Association, Electrification Coalition, International Parking Institute, NextEnergy, Plug In America, and Rocky Mountain Institute. To support the Partners and Ambassadors who sign the pledge, DOE will provide technical assistance and establish a forum for Partners and Ambassadors to share information.

The Energy Department also released the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge Blueprint, which describes PEV technology and deployment barriers, as well as steps to move forward in achieving the EV Everywhere goal. The full Blueprint can be found here.

For more information about the Challenge or EV Everywhere, please visit www.electricvehicles.energy.gov.

The Northeast Electric Vehicle Network will enable travelers to drive their plug-in electric vehicles from northern New England to D.C. and everywhere in between

Through the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network, northeastern states are laying the groundwork for the region to lead the way in the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs), capturing the many economic, jobs, and environmental benefits associated with EVs. Participating states are also engaging in important planning work to remove barriers to the widespread adoption of EVs and ensure that public charging stations are placed in strategic locations that both maximize usage and facilitate interstate travel.

States will continue to develop the partnerships needed in both the public and private sector to build a robust network of charging stations throughout the region. Already, more than 540 charging stations are publicly available in the region, and more than 70 companies have pledged to work with northeastern states to support the deployment of EVs.

The Network was launched in late 2011 as a project of the Transportation and Climate Initiative, and includes the following jurisdictions: Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine (coordinated by Maine Clean Communities). Funding for the initiative is provided in part by a nearly $1 million Electric Vehicle readiness grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which was awarded to NYSERDA on behalf of TCI.  TCI states work collaboratively on the DOE grant with 16 Clean Cities initiatives throughout the region.

For more information, check out the Northeast EV Network website.

Outreach and Education

Odyssey 2012: National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day
On October 19 & 20, 2012 Maine Clean Communities teamed up with Southern Maine Community College to help build awareness and enthusiasm for alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, showcasing a wide range of technologies and fuels, including electric, propane, natural gas, biodiesel, hybrids, and ethanol.

Click here to learn more about this event.

Electric & Natural Gas Vehicles: Reducing Maine’s Oil Dependence
On October 25, 2012 Maine Clean Communities and E2Tech partnered to provide a two part event with up-to-date information on Electric and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles and infrastructure development in the Greater Portland area and throughout Maine, which also including a display of EVs and CNG vehicles.

Click here to learn more about this event.

Electric Vehicle Display and Press Conference
On May 21, 2012 Maine Clean Communities and the Sierra Club of Maine held a press conference outside One Longfellow Square in Portland to announce the showing of the film “Revenge of the Electric Car” the following night, highlight the availability of EVs in Maine, tout their environmental and petroleum reduction benefits, and discuss the EV-related work being done by Maine Clean Communities in the Greater Portland Region.

“Revenge of the Electric Car” Film Event
On May 22, 2012 approximately 90 people joined Maine Clean Communities and the Sierra Club of Maine for an EV display with seven EV and Hybrid Electric Plug-In Vehicles and the Maine Premiere of the film “Revenge of the Electric Car” at One Longfellow Square in Portland.

The film is a follow-up to the very successful “Who Killed the Electric Car” which chronicled the demise of the Electric Vehicle (EV) market and destruction of electric cars in the early 1990s. The newest film follows four entrepreneurs battling from inside GM, Nissan, Tesla and a private business who stake everything on the comeback of the electric car.

Click here to see photos and more about the events!