Air District launches PEV-Ready website for consumers

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District today launched the new Bay Area Plug-In Electric Vehicle Ready website - bayareapevready.org - which offers a clearinghouse of information for current and prospective electric vehicle drivers across the region. The new Bay Area Plug-In Electric Vehicle Ready website will assist Bay Area residents considering a vehicle purchase.

“There is a lot of information out there about plug-in electric vehicles but it is often difficult to navigate,” said Jack Broadbent, the Air District’s executive officer. “This new website puts all the Bay Area electric vehicle information in one place for current owners and buyers.”

The Air District’s Plug-In Electric Vehicle Ready program offers grants to support early PEV use, and the related bayareapevready.org website acts as an information clearinghouse for drivers, local governments and infrastructure providers seeking information about funding opportunities, as well as important resources such as links to maps of charging stations in the region.  The site also provides links to current events and opportunities, such as National Plug-In Day, which will be held on September 23, 2012, and is sponsored by Plug In America, the Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association.

Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are now on the market and critical charging infrastructure is being expanded throughout the Bay Area to support accelerated PEV adoption. Drivers require equipment to quickly and efficiently charge car batteries at home as well as at range-extending charging stations away from home—at work, shopping, or recreational destinations, or at points along the way during a long trip.

The Air District has allocated more than $6.3 million in funding to develop the charging infrastructure in the Bay Area to support widespread PEV use. That funding will pay for installation of more than 50 DC fast chargers and 250 Level 2 charging stations in public locations throughout the region, and will provide rebates for installation of 3,000 Level 2 home charging stations. The Air District anticipates that the majority of chargers will be installed by summer of 2013.

PEVs draw power from the electricity grid, a process that produces less pollution than traditional gasoline engines. PEV use will be even cleaner in the future, following the California Public Utilities Commission’s mandate that 33 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2020.

The Bay Area PEV Ready website also provides support for the regional PEV readiness planning effort, which is co-sponsored by the United States Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission. 

 The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (www.baaqmd.gov) is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.