Philadelphia, November 16, 2010 – Governor Edward G. Rendell and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced today that the City of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will receive a $140,000 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) to purchase and install chargers for 20 electric vehicles (EV) in Philadelphia.  The chargers will serve 18 EVs that PhillyCarShare and Zipcar will add to their fleets and provide two parking spaces with charging services available the public.  By displacing 18 traditional car share vehicles, the project is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 61,000 pounds per year.  

“Greenworks Philadelphia sets a goal to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2015,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “Adding electric vehicles to Philadelphia’s successful car share programs will give thousands of Philadelphia drivers an affordable opportunity to experience new EV technology and help the City reach our ambitious sustainability goals.”  

Electric vehicle technology is well suited for car share use because the average car share trip is between 30 and 40 miles long, well within the range of one battery charge.  Using EVs in high-mileage fleet settings such as car share programs also increases the environmental benefit of the vehicles by replacing a large number of traditional fuel vehicle miles driven.

The project is an important first step in strengthening Philadelphia’s EV infrastructure.  It will help the City understand and improve EV charger installation permitting, give PECO valuable information about how chargers interact with the existing grid, and provide data on how electric vehicles perform in Philadelphia’s weather and traffic conditions.  

“This project starts solving the chicken and egg problem by creating an electric car public charging infrastructure that will then encourage people to purchase and use electric cars,” said DEP Secretary John Hanger. “The project also shows that Philadelphia can be a leader in the electric car revolution that will create enormous health, environmental and economic benefits.”

Further information on the City of Philadelphia’s Greenworks Philadelphia sustainability plan and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability can be found at www.phila.gov/green.

For more information on PA DEP’s AFIG program, visit: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/alternative_fuels_incentive_grant-move_to_grants/10492