Government Joins with Utilities to Promote Electric Vehicles

Partnership between DOE and Edison Electric Institute aims to accelerate EV infrastructure and adoption.

June 11, 2015

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) announced this week that they are formally teaming up to promote the spread of electric vehicle technology, under an agreement signed this morning at the electric utility trade group's annual convention, held this year in New Orleans.

The purpose of the memorandum of understanding, which was signed during EEI’s annual convention,  is to foster pursuit of "key opportunities for collaborative action ... to accelerate plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and charging infrastructure deployment," according to a report from Energy & Environment News (E&E).

Among the goals included in the agreement are:

  • Launch a public-private partnership to create an umbrella effort "under which specific initiatives can be designed and executed."
  • Commission an outside study both to assess the economic impact and benefits to ratepayers of transportation electrification and to examine the effectiveness of utility investments in growing the market.
  • Explore both opportunities for and barriers to adoption of plug-in electric vehicles, including working with states on Clean Air Act issues and PEV implementation plans.

Given that the U.S. transportation system produces one-third of the nation's carbon emissions, it is "essential that we improve plug-in electric vehicle technology and increase their numbers on the road," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who signed the agreement during a speech at the convention, said in a news release, as reported by E&E.

The agreement follows up on roundtable meetings held in November and February with White House participation. At the first meeting, EEI announced that its members had committed to spending 5% of their annual vehicle fleet budgets on PEVs and related technologies. At the second meeting, specific areas for collaboration were laid out.

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