The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new private-public partnership that will identify and pursue collaborative opportunities between the government and the utility industry to promote and accelerate the nationwide adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).  

During EEI’s Annual Convention in New Orleans, DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz and EEI President Tom Kuhn signed a memorandum of understanding June 8 to take a variety of joint actions — including research, infrastructure, and outreach programs — to accelerate the widespread adoption of EVs.

“Today’s Memorandum of Understanding with the nation’s electric power industry allows the Department of Energy to tap into the experience and scale of an industry that is truly leading the way in moving the electric vehicle market forward,” said Kate Brandt, federal chief sustainability officer at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “The federal government is doing its part too, and will benefit from this partnership. Executive Order 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, directs Federal agencies to reduce their fleet wide per-mile greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2025 and to ensure that by 2025 half of all new passenger vehicle acquisitions are for zero emission or plug-in hybrid vehicles."

EEI’s collaboration with DOE builds on the electric utility industry’s leadership on transportation electrification. One example of this dedication is EEI’s fleet electrification initiative. Launched last year, this effort includes a commitment by EEI and its partnering member companies to invest at least 5% of their annual fleet budgets in plug-in vehicles and technologies.

EEI also announced that its fleet electrification initiative has exceeded the anticipated $50 million annual industry commitment, and will total more than $90 million in 2015, adding more than 800 new plug-in vehicles and 740 new charging ports to utility fleets.