City of Phoenix Unveils A Draft Roadmap To Sustain 280,000 Electric Vehicles by 2030

Last Week, the Phoenix City Council unveiled its draft of a proposed roadmap to sustain 280,000 electric vehicles by 2030.

It is important to remember that electric vehicles are not just a Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, or a Tesla.

These vehicles also include electric bicycles and scooters, city vehicles like sweepers, and public bussing.

The Electric Vehicle Roadmap contains five strategies to achieve the 280,000 electric vehicle goal by 2030.

They are:

• “Prioritize equity by ensuring all communities (rich, middle class, poor) have access to these technologies (vehicles and electric charging stations for example.)
• Education and outreach to the community.
• Leading by example with the City of Phoenix increasing its electric vehicle fleet and installing electric charging stations.
• Grow public charging throughout the city.
• Standardize the charging process through zoning access.”

Please click here to read the whole draft of the Electric Vehicle Road Map. Currently, the City is asking for public feedback on the proposed draft. Please click here if you are a Phoenix resident to participate.

Commenting on the Road Map, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego stated:

“Our multi-faceted approach focuses on infrastructure, investment and talent. We are working with local utilities as we look to increase the number of available EV charging stations. The city will lead by example in phasing out gas-powered vehicles from the city’s light duty fleet, and we are invested in and partnering with Maricopa Community Colleges to advance EV jobs training. Incredible opportunities lie ahead for Phoenix as we prepare for an expected 280,000 EVs on roads by 2030, making development of an EV Roadmap essential to our success.”

Phoenix Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari, the chairperson appointed by Mayor Gallego to chair the Phoenix Electric Vehicle Ad-Hoc Committee, posted on social media:

To ABC 15 News, the Councilwoman commented,

“There are countless benefits to electric vehicles whether you look at the air quality in Phoenix, and the fact that transportation accounts for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions here in Phoenix. We have some of worst air quality in the country.”

“We know already that electric vehicles are going to make a huge difference if people are able to make the switch from a fossil fuel powered vehicle to an electric vehicle when it comes to the air we breathe on a daily basis.”

“Reducing our dependence on fossil fuel powered vehicles and focusing on clean transportation options means that every day Phoenicians will ultimately have a more affordable way to get around the city.”

The Draft report notes the benefits of increasing the amount of electric vehicles on the road by 2030.

These include:

• “EVs have little or no tailpipe emissions (depending on the type of vehicle), so they reduce local
  air pollution, global GHG emissions, and improve public health.
• Regardless of the electricity generation mix, EVs have much lower greenhouse gas (GHG)
  emissions than ICE vehicles, and they have the ability to continually lower emissions as the
  electricity generation mix gets cleaner.
• The cost to charge an EV can be less than 10 percent of the price of the equivalent amount of
  gasoline and can even be lower if using utility time-of-use rates. The U.S. Department of
  Energy’s (DOE) eGallon tool provides a general cost comparison based on U.S. averages.
•  EVs, particularly BEVs, which do not have an ICE, require very little maintenance. Because of the
  lower maintenance and fuel costs, EVs have a lower lifetime cost of ownership than conventional ICE vehicles.”

With the increase in manufacturers and the availability of funds from various sources like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan (which will greatly assist in the purchase of electric buses and charging stations) and a $7500 tax credit to purchase a qualifying automobile, the staff and members of the Phoenix City Council are confident they will be able to meet their goals to have 280,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030.