Eight Governors Sign Electric Vehicle Promotion Pact

Governors from eight states signed an agreement on May 29 outlining a strategy for putting more electric vehicles on the roads. The 11-point plan provides a menu of activities each state can choose from to meet the broader goal of putting 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on American roadways by 2025.

California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont signed the agreement. Together, the eight states involved in the EV action plan represent about a quarter of the new vehicle market in the U.S.

Oregon participates in several initiatives to promote the sale of electric vehicles (EV), including the West Coast Electric Highway Program, an EV corridor running through California, Oregon, and Washington. The program, now nearing completion, has installed 40 of a planned 43 EV fast-charging stations along the coast.

Vermont is planning two such corridors, said Deborah Markowitz, Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources for the state. Vermont’s Green Corridor partnership is installing charging stations and creating HOV lane access incentives between Burlington, VT, and the Canadian province of Quebec, which is partnered with the state. The other corridor being planned, Markowitz said, will run from Washington, D.C., to Montreal, Canada.

Regional partnerships are of particular importance on the east coast, where the states are smaller, Markowitz explained. The work they have to do involves ensuring the program is consistent across state lines – signs should look the same, HOV lane incentives should be consistent, and charging stations should be available and easy to find.