Electric Vehicles

The transportation sector is the county’s leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, and more than half of those emissions come from light duty vehicles, like the ones most people drive every day. Heavy-duty vehicles represent another 24%. In addition to their impacts on climate change, gasoline and diesel powered vehicles do enormous harm to the communities they travel through, where tailpipe emissions are linked to respiratory disease and other illnesses.

Shifting modes from single occupancy vehicles to public transportation, biking, and walking is the Council’s first strategy to reduce transportation pollution. Accelerating the shift from gas and diesel powered vehicles to electric zero-emission vehicles is also a critical strategy to decarbonize the transportation sector, particularly as more and more of the electric power sector is switching to clean, renewable energy. Electric vehicles are remarkably more efficient, cost less to maintain, and produce no local air pollution in the communities where they are traveling.

Purchasing an electric vehicle should be affordable and easily accessible. An electric vehicle should be the logical choice for any consumer, not just environmental activists who are wealthy enough to afford the large price tag. They offer superior performance and are easier to operate and maintain. Elected officials should enact policies to lead a rapid shift to electric vehicles in the next few years. Perhaps more importantly, 100% of new public sector fleets should transition to all-electric, including municipal vehicles, trucks, public transportation, and school buses. 

THE PROBLEM

Pennsylvania is far behind in building the infrastructure needed for a widespread shift to electric vehicles, and the upfront costs of these vehicles are still out of reach for most working families. Public transportation agencies are still buying diesel-powered buses in large numbers, and the largest zero-emission bus fleet remains at just a handful of vehicles. Adding to this problem: where federal and state grant programs exist to facilitate the shift to cleaner vehicles, like Volkswagen’s settlement funds, the programs are set up to favor cheaper diesel and hybrid vehicles over fully electric trucks and buses and other charging infrastructure that will make meaningful progress towards shifting to a cleaner transportation sector.

THE SOLUTION

The Council works to make electric vehicles more common for individuals and fleets through advocacy to elected officials and policy makers, as well as fleet operators.

• Electric Buses – Fewer people in single-occupancy vehicles will always be a top priority to reduce transportation climate pollution. In addition to fewer carbon emissions, electrifying buses can have a big impact on improving local air quality. These vehicles also run quieter and are newer and cleaner for passengers and surrounding residents. Advocating for the increased purchase of electric buses by transit agencies, and prioritizing routes in environmental justice communities is a priority for the Council, as is the adoption of electric school buses to protect air quality for children.
• Electrifying freight and trucks – The Council has worked for years to educate fleet operators about the benefits of switching out old dirty trucks for newer, cleaner electric vehicles, and has connected fleet operators with grant opportunities to get these dirty vehicles off the road.
• Policies that lead to electrification of more private vehicles – The Council works in Pennsylvania to adopt policies like the Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) program that would require a certain percentage of auto sales come from zero-emission electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. As of 2022, a total of fifteen other states have already established a ZEV program, which will stimulate the supply of electric vehicles for sale within their borders.

Regional and state-wide cap and invest programs – The Council supports and has petitioned Pennsylvania for policies that put a limit on the amount of greenhouse gas pollution that can come from all sources in the transportation sector, which would incentivize more electric vehicles on the road. Ideal programs charge polluters a fee and invest those funds directly in reducing pollution in environmental justice communities, where mobility choices are often limited and air pollution causes disproportionate impacts.