By joining Denver, CO, Houston, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Portland, OR, and Toronto, Ontario, Rhode Island becomes the first Project Get Ready state and Providence the first community in the northeast to pioneer the adoption of efficient, low-carbon vehicles.
“National Grid is proud to be a partner in Project Get Ready in the development of a strategic plan for successfully implementing plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles for Rhode Island,” said Tom King, President, US Business, National Grid. “The company has long been committed to carbon reduction and energy efficiency and we view the transportation sector as an integral part of these initiatives. Project Get Ready’s work is very much in-step with our goal of reducing National Grid’s own carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050.”
Project Get Ready is an initiative to help cities make the shift away from fossil fuels in the transportation sector. With the guidance of Project Get Ready, Rhode Island policymakers, environmental advocates, transportation experts, business leaders and the state’s major electric utility company are working to adopt practical strategies that will promote the adoption of electric vehicles, such as encouraging the installation of charging stations at workplaces and public locations, assisting fleet managers in evaluating the potential cost savings of PEVs, bundling consumer incentives at the point of purchase and fast-tracking permitting for charging stations. Plug-in electric vehicles include both all electric and hybrid electric vehicles, which have both battery power and an internal combustion engine.
Project Get Ready RI Coordinator Al Dahlberg said, “The key to this effort is the diverse partnership. Let’s seize this opportunity to make Rhode Island a leader in green transportation, decrease transportation costs, and reduce emissions by getting 10,000 plug-in electric vehicles on the roads within five years. I am grateful for the support of Majority Leader Fox and Mayor Cicilline for supporting Project Get Ready RI.
PGR RI includes representatives from the following organizations: Brown University, City of Providence, Conservation Law Foundation, DK Power, Environment Northeast, EleCar, EmPower CES, VeeCharge, FleetMaster, National Grid, New England Institute of Technology, Ocean State Clean Cities, Portsmouth Abbey School, Providence Water Supply Board, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Rhode Island State House of Representatives, Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council, Save The Bay, and the University of Rhode Island Energy Center.
“Electric vehicles must be a key tool in our efforts to reduce global warming pollution as well as increase our energy independence,” said Abigail Anthony, Policy Analyst at ENE (Environment Northeast). “The switch to electricity will produce significant reductions in carbon emissions from our cars and trucks and reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels.” Dr. Anthony’s analysis indicates that a PHEV will have dramatically lower fuel costs than conventional vehicles and 40-70% less greenhouse gas pollution annually, even after accounting for the carbon emissions of the electric power plants used to recharge the PHEV batteries.
Project Get Ready National Project Leader Matt Mattila added, “RMI knows that success requires coordinated action. By utilizing RMI’s convening power, as well as detailed technical analysis, these leading communities will work with each other, RMI, and Project Get Ready technical advisers to share best practices and lessons learned and overcome perceived barriers related to technology, consumer demand, infrastructure, and incentives.”
For Project Get Ready, RMI is specifically:
• Using a dynamic web-based "menu" of strategic actions—based on input from technical advisers and cities already engaged in implementing plug-ins—that city and regional leaders can adopt to become a plug-in pioneers. RMI has analyzed the business case for each action from the perspective of stakeholders (government, employers, consumers,).
• Convening cities as well as technical players to regularly discuss the lessons learned and best practices, and reporting this information and all plug-in readiness activities on projectgetready.com. Some partner cities have their own plans underway, while others are starting from scratch.
• Providing a benchmark that allows cities to prove that they are ready for mass adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs), and have taken meaningful steps to support this critical technology.
• Documenting the progress made by participant cities in order to help quantify future demand and make it more transparent to industry (how much, where, and what type of support to expect) for PHEVs and EVs.
For more information about Project Get Ready Rhode Island, visit www.projectgetready.com/rhodeisland or call Al Dahlberg, Project Get Ready RI coordinator, at 401-524-1151.