The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Workplace Charging Challenge, and the department reports that 13 "major" U.S. employers and eight stakeholder groups have joined the new initiative.
According to the DOE, the initiative is a collaborative effort to increase the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging by tenfold in the next five years. The challenge also supports the broader efforts of the DOE’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, announced by President Obama in March 2012, to make plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) as affordable and convenient for the American family as gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 10 years.
The first 13 employers that have signed the Workplace Charging Pledge include 3M, Chrysler Group, Duke Energy, Eli Lilly and Co., Ford, GE, GM, Google, Nissan, San Diego Gas & Electric, Siemens, Tesla and Verizon. The pledge commits each partner organization to assess workforce PEV charging demands, and then develop and implement a plan to install workplace charging infrastructure for at least one major worksite location.
“The market for electric vehicles is expanding dramatically, giving drivers more options to save money on gasoline while reducing carbon pollution,” says Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “These 13 companies are taking strong steps to make charging infrastructure more broadly available to their workforce - setting an example for others to follow and helping America lead the global race for a growing industry.”
Eight stakeholder organizations also have signed the Ambassador Pledge to develop and execute plans to support and promote the workplace charging initiative, including California PEV Collaborative, CALSTART, Electric Drive Transportation Association, Electrification Coalition, International Parking Institute, NextEnergy, Plug In America, and Rocky Mountain Institute. To support the Partners and Ambassadors that sign the pledge, DOE says it will provide technical assistance and establish a forum for the parties to share information.
