Drive Electric Wisconsin

The project runs from October 2020 through December 2023 and is comprised of a group of diverse stakeholders, including Clean Cities Coalitions from fourteen states, electric vehicle and EVSE OEMs, and other committed partners who are dedicated to raising awareness and adoption of EVs across the United States.

The project will use participating states as great and dissimilar examples of how to successfully build statewide, successful EV efforts to drive the purchase and use of EVs of all sizes and by general citizens and fleets.

In order to accomplish this goal, project leaders and implementers will educate consumers, utilities, utility regulators, and government officials while engaging auto dealers and fleet leaders, conducting EV infrastructure planning, and developing local EV chapters. All of this will occur under the banner of each branded, statewide EV initiative which will be guided by that state’s stakeholders.

The DRIVE Electric USA project will create a replication playbook based on outputs and lessons learned and build successful long-term continuation through funding and partnerships. Additionally, a 35-company Project Advisory Committee (PAC) will provide input and guide the coalitions and their statewide efforts to break down barriers as quickly as possible toward accelerating EV adoption in participating states.

In September 2021, the project began adding other states as additional partners in the project, including Indiana, Kentucky, Connecticut and New York.

The activities, outputs and outcomes in the project are built on seven “Priority Areas” of focused work:

1. Create and strengthen branded, statewide “DRIVE Electric” programs in each state, and build capacity into those programs through funded time
2. Educate consumers by developing multiple, local EV “chapters” in all states
3. Directly engage and educate all of our utilities and regulators
4. Advance infrastructure in all states via statewide corridor, regional and community EVSE planning, including a focus on limited-income communities
5. Educate state and local government officials about EV policy best practices
6. Engage dealerships & OEMS to develop state-based, preferred EV dealer programs including light-duty and medium/heavy-duty OEMs
7. Significantly increase fleet EV adoption across many types of fleets and sizes of vehicles.

The team’s goals are anchored in creating or strengthening state-based EV initiatives in the following states (after each state, the Clean Cities Program that is leading that state’s efforts are listed):