California has ambitious goals to reach five million Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) by 2030. VCREA and Community Environmental Council (CEC) have a grant from the California Energy Commission to create a replicable electric vehicle (EV) Ready Blueprint that describes a step-by-step plan for electrifying transportation in Ventura County. In developing this Blueprint, VCREA and CEC are conducting community outreach on the benefits of EVs and convening a bi-monthly meeting of community stakeholders and local government staff. Additionally, VCREA and CEC have collected data on large multi-family housing complexes, employers, and public destinations that are good fits for new EV charging infrastructure. The Blueprint will include these findings along with a special focus on the Cities of Oxnard, Ventura, and the Port of Hueneme that will detail the infrastructure needed for EVs to be one-eighth of all vehicles by 2030. Completion of this project will grant eligibility for a second phase of funding that will go towards EV charging installations in Ventura County, if approved.
Adoption of Electric Vehicles will benefit Ventura County residents in many ways, including:
-Lower fueling costs for drivers (charging at home overnight is like paying $1.50/gallon!)
-Lower vehicle maintenance costs (no more oil changes!)
-Pollution reduction and cleaner air (no tailpipe emissions!)
-A smooth transition from fossil fuels to clean transportation
Timeline:
October 2018 – First EV Coalition Meeting
December 2018 – Second EV Coalition Meeting
February 2019 – Third EV Coalition Meeting
April 2019 – Fourth EV Coalition Meeting
May 2019 – Fifth EV Coalition Meeting
July 2019 – Ventura County EV Ready Blueprint due to California Energy Commission
Calendar
Community outreach events are an important part of this project. We welcome you to attend our tabling events and learn more about the benefits of driving electric! Check out the calendar to see what’s coming up!