Editor’s note: EVs are good for utilities and the wind industry.
In 2016, the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market exceeded expectations. Despite another year of unusually low gasoline prices averaging $2.24 per gallon, there are now more than half a million PEVs quietly zipping around U.S. streets. While PEVs are on the rise nationally, the Energy Department’s Workplace Charging Challenge made big strides in 2016 as well.
The small circle behind the front tire provides access to the recharging plug.
The Challenge has partnered with more than 400 employers who have committed to providing their employees with access to charging. With workplace charging, PEV-driving employees can feel confident in being able to get where they need to go during the workday and employees interested in buying a PEV can learn about the benefits of driving electric from their colleagues. Employers participating in the Challenge represent a variety of commercial areas including utility, healthcare, higher education, industrial, and local, state, and federal government.
In our recent report, Workplace Charging Challenge Progress Update 2016: A New Sustainable Commute, employers participating in the Challenge find more than 90% employee satisfaction with their workplace charging programs. They also note that that the number of employees commuting to Challenge partner workplaces in a PEV has grown to more than 14,000. Across the country, these organizations show that large corporations are not the only employers who can take an active role in reducing commuter emissions – many of the partner worksites with more than 20% of employees driving electric are small businesses.
Notably, less than 20% of partner worksites are in urban settings, the majority of workplace charging is located in suburban metropolitan environments such as office parks, accounting for 71% of partner worksites and 80% of partners’ PEV-driving employees.
Top metro regions for the Workplace Charging Challenge
| 1. Portland, OR | 6. San Diego, CA | 11. Boston, MA |
| 2. San Francisco, CA | 7. New York, NY | 12. Raleigh, NC |
| 3. Los Angeles, CA | 8. Detroit, MI | 13. Miami, FL |
| 4. Atlanta, GA | 9. San Jose, CA | 14. Sacramento, CA |
| 5. Chicago, IL | 10. Tampa, FL | 15. Washington, DC |
For residents in the top 15 metro regions with the greatest number of Challenge partner workplaces, driving a PEV has become easier with the availability of strong workplace charging programs. In many of these metro regions, state and local government leaders are joining forces with industry and Challenge ambassadors, including the Energy Department’s Clean Cities Coalitions, to promote the benefits of driving electric.
Filed Under: News
