RALEIGH – The state’s transportation secretary on Thursday
released a video and discussed the state’s
strategic plan for increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles in North Carolina.
NCDOT Secretary Jim Trogdon provided highlights of the North Carolina Zero-Emission Vehicle plan to media during an event Thursday at an electric car charging station at Wake Technical Community College.
The plan outlines a strategy to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles registered in the state to at least 80,000 by 2025. There are about 9,600 fully electric vehicles registered in the state now.
Last fall, Governor Roy Cooper directed NCDOT to develop the plan as part of
Executive Order No. 80, which outlines the state’s commitment to address climate change and transition to a clean energy economy.
“Zero-emission vehicles will improve the air we breathe, allow for greater mobility and grow our clean energy economy,” Trogdon said. “ZEVs are a new technology that is disrupting the transportation industry. That’s why this plan is important – how do we prepare for and leverage disruptive technologies?”
Trogdon and NCDOT staff will present the plan on Friday at the
North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council meeting in the Nature Research Center, 120 West Jones St., Raleigh.
NCDOT consulted with stakeholders statewide, other state agencies and industry partners and received wide-ranging public comments that helped shape the plan.
The plan includes strategies to increase ZEV registrations by:
- Promoting public awareness and education about electric vehicles. NCDOT created a video as its first step in public outreach on the plan.
- Making it more convenient to own and operate a ZEV, including expanding charging stations across the state.
- Advancing policy changes to promote electric vehicles.
To see video from Thursday’s event, go to
https://vimeo.com/362600360.