Electrify America investing $3 million in California to drive zero emission vehicle awareness, education in low-income and disadvantaged communities

Electrify America announced a nearly $3 million additional investment to support four community-based organization awardees promoting Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) education and awareness in low-income and disadvantaged communities throughout California. This effort is part of the company’s broader commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, and supports the existing plan to invest $200 million in California ZEV infrastructure and education programs in the state through mid-2024.

The announcement builds on four years of previous multimillion-dollar funding investments with community-based organizations (CBOs) and non-profit organizations (NGOs) throughout the state in low income and disadvantaged communities, aimed to support a more equitable transition to electric vehicles and zero tailpipe-emission driving. This year’s investment will build off previous year’s engagement efforts to support digital and in-person education, electric vehicle (EV) ride and drive programs, events, potential EV incentives and financing workshops, and grassroots community engagement.

The community-based organizations will focus on home charging education, awareness, and engagement around Electrify America’s $25 million Green City investment to bring charging infrastructure to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and help start electrifying the tens of thousands of drayage trucks entering the Port Complex every day.

Electrify America has invested $400 million in California, with $197.3 million in low-income, disadvantaged, and underserved California communities by providing education, access, charging infrastructure, and services to promote ZEV driving, including $18 million in education and marketing.

“In the exciting race to electrify our transportation system, many communities have not had equitable access to the resources and information that can help establish adoption of electric vehicles,” says Gabriela Herrera Gugiu, corporate social responsibility senior specialist, Electrify America. “We believe it’s our responsibility to help create a future where zero emission vehicles can be accessible and affordable to Californians and communities across the country.”

Investment recipients include Breathe SoCal, Ecology Action, Plug In America, and Valley Clean Air Now. More than 100 non-profit, private and public entities from across California were invited to submit proposals to support brand-neutral ZEV education and awareness in disadvantaged and low-income communities. Additional information on the selected California-based organizations and the multi-lingual campaigns that Electrify America will support includes:
Breathe Southern California: Breathe SoCal is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that promotes clean air through education, research, technology, and advocacy. Breathe SoCal will host ride-share driver EV educational sessions, a ride-and-drive EV event at a farmer’s market, and a miniature EV competition for families. This type of direct engagement with community members will inform future opportunities to promote EV adoption. Activities will take place in and around the Long Beach-Wilmington area where the Green City initiative is centered.
Ecology Action: Ecology Action helps people act now to reduce emissions at scale to ensure a thriving people and planet. They are committed to transportation justice and have helped advance sustainable transportation in underserved and low-income communities for nearly two decades. Their efforts in this initiative will focus on ride and drive events throughout the Central Coast and beyond, EV showcases, EV purchase support guidance and EV webinars intended to drive community awareness broadly across the state.
Plug In America: Plug In America help consumers, policy-makers, auto manufacturers and others to understand the powerful benefits of driving electric by providing practical, objective information to help consumers select the best plug-in vehicle for their lifestyles and needs. Plug In America founded National Drive Electric Week, the world’s largest celebration of the plug-in vehicle, which welcomed over 180,000 attendees across 324 events in 2019, spanning all 50 states. They will support California-based EV education and engagement through ride and drive programs across California, EV test drives in rural communities, including the regions surrounding Green City efforts.
Valley Clean Air Now (VCAN): VCAN is a 501(c)(3) public charity committed to quantifiably reducing air emissions in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the region with some of the worst air quality and most severe poverty in the United States. VCAN and key partners such as Charge Across Town will continue their comprehensive campaigns that offer San Joaquin Valley low-income and disadvantaged community groups an opportunity to test-drive ZEVs and to provide hands-on help with qualifying for ZEV incentives through Community Clean Car Clinics and Tune In & Tune Up events, which will occur through this funding. Additionally, VCAN will recruit new car dealers to join the Clean Cars 4 All program, as well as additional community and government collaborations designed to reduce barriers to ZEV ownership in disadvantaged communities. The organization will also focus on potential EV incentives, education, and home charging education and awareness.

Building on the $3 Million investment in California to Drive ZEV Awareness and Education in Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities, Electrify America announced in May it entered a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) to build a solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation project in San Bernardino County, California. The new solar project called Electrify America Solar Glow 1 is expected to generate 75MW at peak solar capacity and produce enough 100% renewable energy annually to help offset the energy delivered to Electrify America’s customers.

Additionally, Electrify America is also investing in clean technology innovations in the state to support sustainable and reliable operations, including more than 100 battery energy storage systems at charging stations in California to help stabilize the grid and maintain pricing, while having the potential to maximize renewable energy use from the power grid.