Drive Electric Utah

Increasing EV adoption for fleets and consumers in Utah though education and events. 

What are you doing?

Through community engagement, Utah Clean Cities increases the availability of EV infrastructure, educates dealerships, and works with local governments.

Who else is involved?

Utah is joined by 13 other states in the Drive Electric USA Project. We have state and local partners supporting in the project as well.

What is Drive Electric USA?

Drive Electric USAis country wideis the futureis funis reducing emissions

Accelerating the Adoption of Electric Vehicles

DRIVE Electric USA is a 14 state-based “Drive Electric” programs that will engage individuals, utilities, legislators, dealerships and others towards removing adoption barriers and accelerating plug-in electric vehicle use in states.

Find out more

The Project & Team

In early 2020, staff from East Tennessee Clean Fuels (ETCF) and Clean Fuels Ohio (CFO) opined, “what if we could get a significant number of largely flyover states together to share in developing plans for building effective Drive Electric programs in all our states?” That question turned into the DRIVE Electric USA proposal that was selected and awarded by the US Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office in summer 2020.

The project runs from October 2020 through December 2023 and is comprised of a group of diverse stakeholders, including Clean Cities Coalitions from fourteen states, electric vehicle and EVSE OEMs, and other committed partners who are dedicated to raising awareness and adoption of EVs across the United States. We will use our states as great and dissimilar examples of how to successfully build statewide, successful EV efforts to drive the purchase and use of EVs of all sizes and by general citizens and fleets.

In order to accomplish this goal, project leaders and implementers will educate consumers, utilities, utility regulators, and government officials while engaging auto dealers and fleet leaders, conducting EV infrastructure planning, and developing local EV chapters. All of this will occur under the banner of each branded, statewide EV initiative which will be guided by that state’s stakeholders.

The DRIVE Electric USA project will create a replication playbook based on outputs and lessons learned and build successful long-term continuation through funding and partnerships. Additionally, a 28-member Project Advisory Committee (PAC) will provide input and guide the coalitions and their statewide efforts to break down barriers as quickly as we can towards accelerating EV adoption in our states.

Of the Clean Cities coalitions that are partners in our project states… nine partner coalitions are led by Clean Cities Hall of Fame inductees, and ten coalition’s leaders have been operating their coalitions for 10 years or more. Learn more about our statewide initiatives and who is leading each state’s efforts in the boxes below.

Drive Electric USA

Priority Areas

Statewide Branded EV Programs

Create strong statewide branded EV programs, each guided by a committee of EV stakeholders and encompassing locally based chapters. These programs will attract support and resources, coordinate action across all other priority areas, and increase positive exposure.

Utility and Regulator Engagement

Educate state utility regulators, plus investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative utilities in 14 states. Base education on evolving best EV practices for utilities and the benefits of transportation electrification for all stakeholders, including non-EV owning utility customers. Conduct seminars, forums, Ride and Drives and other convenings for utilities, regulators and stakeholders in the sector.

Consumer Education & Local Chapter Development

Directly educate at least 14,000 consumers (average of 1,000+ per state) through direct participation in EV Ride-and-Drives (R&Ds) and other tactics. Develop and support local EV chapters (at least two per state) to coordinate R&Ds based on specific event models. Gather and analyze participant surveys.

Dealer Engagement – Develop Preferred Dealer Programs

Develop preferred EV dealer programs in 14 states, securing forty or more preferred dealers, with at least two per state. Build web-based platforms to help channel interested EV purchasers to preferred dealers. Partner with “low touch” Internet- based retailers that sell EVs, especially in portions of states still underserved by supportive dealers.

EV Charging Infrastructure Planning

Conduct gap analyses and develop or update plans for EV charging infrastructure in each of the 14 Partnership states at statewide, regional and community levels. Use analyses to educate a wide range of stakeholders and plan deployment of EVSE at all levels and site types in each state.

Fleet Engagement & EV Adoption

Meet with personnel from 560 fleets across all partnership states, then drive EV adoption in at least 10 fleets per state.

State and Local Government Officials Education

Educate government officials in all 14 partnership states. At the state level, focus on best practices for incentive programs for vehicles and infrastructure, state building codes, weights and measures issues for public EVSE, among others. At the local level, focus on guidance for charging in public rights of way, signage and parking enforcement, local building codes, and government fleet electrification.

State Drive Electric Programs

Drive Electric Utah

Drive Electric Tennessee

Drive Electric Ohio

Drive Electric Alabama

Drive Electric Colorado

Drive Electric Florida

Drive Electric Georgia

Drive Electric Kansas

Drive Electric Louisiana 

Drive Electric Missouri

Plug in NC

Drive Electric Pennsylvania

Drive Electric Wisoconsin

Drive Electric Utah is run by Utah Clean Cities Coalition. Utah Clean Cities is a part of the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Network, which focuses on reducing the use of fossil fuels and increasing energy independence in the United States. To learn more about Utah Clean Cities mission and work please visit UtahCleanCities.org.