Electric vehicles (EVs) are an essential part of the effort to decarbonize the transportation sector—and the energy system as a whole—by midcentury. When combined with a decarbonized electricity sector, EVs can contribute to rapid decarbonization of transportation while bringing many other economic and public health benefits.
Twenty-eight cities across Minnesota are looking to the future and getting ready for broad adoption of electric vehicles.
Cities Charging Ahead! is a peer cohort of 28 cities working together across Minnesota to explore electric vehicle readiness. Participants receive technical assistance focused on actions and best practices, based on the GreenStep Cities program, that cities can implement to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles such as: Continue reading »
Electricity systems are increasingly becoming interactive and dynamic, opening up opportunities for energy technologies to “talk” to each other and create numerous benefits for energy consumers (e.g., increased efficiency, lower costs, and reduced emissions). This opportunity is one that GPI and our partners are exploring through the combination of electric vehicles (EVs) and solar energy.
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The modern electric grid often seems like a miracle. Thousands of generating sources, from residential solar power systems to huge power plants, kept in almost instantaneous sync with millions of electricity consumers. All with a reliability rate of better than 99 percent. Continue reading »
Electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to become an ever-increasing part of the Midcontinent region’s transportation mix. As the demand and utilization of EVs increases, so does the EV-specific demand for electricity, raising many important questions for electric utilities and state and local policymakers. Continue reading »
The continuing surge in electric vehicle (EV) use has utilities looking to future impacts on the existing grid structure. Now, a unique consortium of stakeholders has released a white paper that shows that grid transformation can not only meet EV demand, but it can simultaneously benefit utility customers, the economy, and the environment. Continue reading »
Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining traction among consumers, governments, and automakers as battery prices fall and the benefits of EVs increase. Within the last year, virtually every major automobile manufacturer has announced plans to transition to electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. As cities look to capitalize on the opportunity that EVs can bring, from lower maintenance costs for consumers to better air quality for residents, they also must lay the groundwork for their communities to become ‘EV-ready’. Continue reading »
Earlier this fall, the Great Plains Institute hosted our third annual Energy Innovation Celebration with a focus on “Solutions from the Ground Up.” Ahead of the big event, the Metro Clean Energy Resource Team, in collaboration with Drive Electric Minnesota, hosted a pre-workshop focused on electric vehicles (EVs). More importantly, the workshop invited conversations centered around collaboration among utilities, local governments, and corporations on how to increase EV adoption in Minnesota. While the workshop helped to confirm some things we already knew, it also brought forth new context from additional voices in the room. Continue reading »
Recent tax policy analysis by the Great Plains Institute (GPI) for Drive Electric Minnesota found that electric cars pay just as much or more taxes as comparable gasoline vehicles. Like most other states, Minnesota uses a tax on the sale of gasoline and other motor fuel to pay for transportation infrastructure like highways and bridges, among other uses. Continue reading »
Volkswagen (VW) and the US Justice Department signed a historic agreement last week to settle the lawsuit over its emissions cheating scandal. VW will pay more than $15 billion to make things right. In a twist of fate – a lawsuit over diesel engines may end up being a catalytic event in moving towards a much lower emission transportation system. Continue reading »
