WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Friedman signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Energy and the American Public Power Association (APPA). This agreement aims to electrify personal and fleet transportation in public power communities across the United States.
The partnership aligns with the President’s goal and the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, which seeks to develop plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) by 2022 that are as affordable as 2012 gasoline-powered vehicles. The MOU focuses on increasing economic, environmental, and national security benefits by using electricity as a transportation fuel and expanding the electric vehicle (EV) market through utility involvement.
Under this agreement, both parties will work together to promote EV adoption and charging infrastructure deployment for private vehicles, commercial fleets, passenger transportation, and commerce. Efforts will be made to replace petroleum with grid-sourced electricity. Additionally, they will provide information to raise awareness about EV benefits among public power utilities and local officials. A Community Action Plan targeting smaller communities with fewer than 200,000 electric customers will also be developed.
“With the clean energy revolution accelerating and the electric vehicle market growing, it is critical that we expand cooperation as part of our EV Everywhere Grand Challenge,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Friedman. “APPA has shown tremendous leadership in promoting EVs among its network of public utilities, and with this MOU, we are eager to work together to electrify transportation with clean and renewable power in our biggest cities and smallest towns, ensuring that EVs truly are everywhere.”
“Given our strong commitment to environmental stewardship, Public Power is honored to partner with the DOE to promote increased use of electric vehicles,” said APPA President and CEO Sue Kelly. “We want to be responsive to changing customer preferences and help our members prepare for the future of transportation.”
Furthermore, APPA will join the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Utility Partnership formed in 2015. This initiative aims to accelerate PEV adoption further and advance charging infrastructure technology. The collaboration will enhance workplace charging efforts at public power utilities, study EV impacts in these communities, and share insights on infrastructure installation and modern grid interaction.
APPA represents not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities powering homes, businesses, and streets in nearly 2,000 towns and cities serving 48 million Americans. These utilities focus on providing reliable electricity at reasonable prices while protecting the environment through diverse energy sources.
