Press Releases
10/16/2019
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Issues Draft Electric Vehicle Roadmap for Connecticut
Meeting Connecticut’s Environmental Goals by Advancing Electric Vehicle Adoption
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has issued an ambitious strategy for deploying electric vehicles in Connecticut. The draft Electric Vehicle (EV) Roadmap for Connecticut (Draft EV Roadmap) identifies a number of policies, programs, and strategies to help Connecticut accelerate customer adoption of EVs and expand the associated charging infrastructure. The Department will be taking comment on the draft document until November 11 and will hold a public comment session on November 8, with a final strategy and policy recommendations expected by early December.
“The widespread electrification of our transportation system is critically important to achieving our long term environmental goals, improving the air we all breathe and reducing carbon pollution that contributes to climate change,” said Commissioner Katie Dykes. “Innovative, forward-looking approaches are necessary to achieve this transition. This Roadmap lays out how Connecticut can catalyze the EVs market and ensure equitable access to the benefits of electrified transportation options.”
Though still a developing market, EVs are crucial to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and transitioning away from fossil fuels. The state projects it will need approximately 500,000 vehicles converted from internal combustion engines to electric by 2030 to meet its GHG reduction targets and to improve long-term air quality. The Draft EV Roadmap builds on the state’s early successes with vehicle rebates and charging station grants and outlines a path to become a robust, self-sustaining market.
The Draft EV Roadmap focuses on strategies that seek to:
- Make EVs and clean transportation options more accessible and affordable by preserving vehicle purchasing incentives and developing a secondary EV market for used vehicles
- Integrate EV charging into electric grid planning processes and develop innovative electric rate design to minimize electric grid impacts while maximizing potential benefits of EV charging
- Expand and improve infrastructure and the customer charging experience, with a focus on ensuring access in underserved communities
- Build upon ongoing regional coordination to expand consumer awareness of the benefits of EV adoption
- Leverage available funding, such as the Volkswagen mitigation funds, to support vehicle electrification and charging infrastructure
Connecticut’s environmental goals
In Connecticut, the transportation sector is responsible for almost 40% of state-wide GHG emissions and almost 70% of ozone (smog) -forming air pollution. Connecticut will need to steeply reduce emissions from this sector to meet air quality standards for ozone and the state’s GHG target requiring a 45% economy-wide emissions reduction below 2001 levels by 2030, and 80% by 2050. Accelerating adoption of EVs should work hand-in-hand with other transportation strategies like expanding public transit and transit-oriented development, as well as maintaining high vehicle efficiency standards. The U.S. EPA recently revoked a waiver granted years ago to California that allowed the state to establish its own more ambitious vehicle emission standards and required automakers to sell higher percentages of clean cars. The failure of federal leadership puts even greater responsibility on states like Connecticut to promote EVs and emissions reduction strategies.
Background on Connecticut’s EV Roadmap
DEEP issued a Notice of Scoping Meeting and Opportunity for Public Comment on November 26, 2018 and held a technical meeting on February 8, 2019, to inform the recommendations of the Draft EV Roadmap through engagement with subject matter experts. All materials submitted in this proceeding are posted on the DEEP Energy Filings webpage under the matter “EV Roadmap.”
For More Information on EVs in Connecticut
Visit EVConnecticut, a partnership between the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, for additional information on efforts being taken to introduce more EVs into Connecticut.
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Contact
Kristina Rozek
Director of Communications
860-424-3110
Kristina.Rozek@ct.gov