In its 2010 Electric Drive Action Plan for Energy Security, EDTA details a comprehensive strategy for achieving a national fleet of electric vehicles. The Action Plan explains how key government policies will speed the growth of the electric drive market and achieve the many benefits of electric drive transportation.
"EDTA is calling upon Congress and the Administration to ‘push the pedal’ to keep the U.S. on the electric drive fast track," said EDTA President Brian Wynne. "Targeted government policies can build the U.S. electric drive industry and get more vehicles on the road that will reduce our dependence on oil, establish sustainable transportation options and build the green jobs economy. "
To drive wider deployment of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery and fuel cell vehicles, EDTA is recommending policies that will grow the vehicle and infrastructure market, including purchase and investment incentives for electric vehicles. For example, EDTA is advocating for the extension and expansion of federal tax incentives for medium and heavy duty electric drive vehicles, which can transform federal and private fleets.
"Hybrid-electric delivery trucks can provide up to 50 percent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions," Wynne said. "Local, regional and national efforts are necessary to ensure that government and industry work together to keep the public, businesses and first responders informed about industry developments."
EDTA has also detailed the policies that will help to grow U.S. electric drive manufacturing, including vehicle components, infrastructure and equipment. These industries are the foundation of a green jobs economy and are key to increasing U.S. leadership in advanced technology. In this area, EDTA has recommended expanding public/private partnerships to advance manufacturing breakthroughs, as well as establish more manufacturing facilities.
Another essential set of actions is required to ready the infrastructure for electric drive. The plan notes that expanding recharging options and establishing coherent standards for integrated infrastructure will be needed to ensure that grid-connected vehicles fully penetrate the national fleet.
"We need to maximize the advantages that smart grid will provide for grid-connected transportation," Wynne said. "Electric drive infrastructure means integrating the charging options with the smart grid technologies that will enable the most efficient and sustainable use of electric fuel."
For more details and to view the complete 2010 Electric Drive Action Plan for Energy Security, please visit www.electricdrive.org.
The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) is the trade association representing battery, plug-in, hybrid and fuel cell electric drive technologies and infrastructure. EDTA conducts public policy advocacy, education, industry networking and international conferences. EDTA’s membership includes automotive and other equipment manufacturers, energy companies, technology developers, component suppliers and government agencies.
Energy Security Through Electric Drive: Achieving a Diversified Fleet of Electric Drive Vehicles and Infrastructure
Foreword:
Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) members include leading and emerging vehicle, battery and component manufacturers, as well as electricity providers, smart grid and infrastructure developers, and others advancing diverse technologies that will displace oil with electricity in transportation. Collectively, we are building the advanced vehicles, green jobs, sustainable transportation options and energy independence that comprise the electric drive future.
In 2009, EDTA and its members developed a roadmap of key policy recommendations to accelerate the electrification of the transportation sector and speed the nation toward true energy security. Because changing the U.S. transportation fleet to electric drive won’t happen overnight, we called for policies that would get us “on the right road, right away.”
Congress and the Obama Administration agreed. In the last year, Washington has worked to put us on the right road by making historic commitments to promote the electrification of the transportation sector. The Administration declared an ambitious goal for plug-in vehicles; substantial funds for electric drive manufacturing were provided in stimulus legislation; and many of our key tax, research and development and deployment program priorities were authorized or funded in the first session of the 111th Congress.
Now, the task is to build on those commitments and move ahead with policies that reflect what we have achieved, what we have learned and what is required to realize the goal of an electric drive future. As the collective voice of the electric drive industry, we have identified the key “next step” actions for policymakers to achieve our shared goal of a commercial scale electric drive fleet:
1. Reduce Market Hurdles for Electric Drive Technologies
2. Expand U.S. Manufacturing Capacity
3. Establish Coherent Regulatory Policies for Electric
4. Drive Vehicles and Infrastructure; Accelerate Technology Breakthroughs
5. Promote Public and Private Outreach and Education to Increase Consumer Awareness.
The full text of EDTA’s Policy Action Plan 2010 is below. You can download a PDF version of the Action Plan by clicking HERE.
1. Reduce Market Hurdles for Vehicles and Infrastructure
Although diverse electric drive vehicles are entering the market, vehicle and infrastructure costs present an initial hurdle to large scale adoption. Incentives and support for private and public acquisition of electric drive vehicle and infrastructure will reduce cost hurdles for consumers and help manufacturers reach the economies of scale that will bring costs down and speed the proliferation of electrification infrastructure.
Refine Tax Incentives for Electric Drive Vehicles (EV, PHEV, FCEV) and related Infrastructure
> Support added flexibility in incentives for individual and business consumers, such as credit transferability and point-of-purchase incentives
> Expand recognition of diverse electric drive infrastructure options for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs); Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs); and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), stationary and hydrogen storage and refueling in refueling infrastructure incentives
> Provide incentives for non-propulsion applications for transportation energy storage systems (e.g., batteries and hydrogen/fuel cell systems)
> Extend and expand incentives for medium and heavy duty electric drive vehicles and qualifying off-road vehicles
> Evaluate and promote effective options to reduce incremental electric drive costs (including alternative financing, battery warranties, industry insurance pools, fuel cell buy-downs)
> Accelerate depreciation of smart meters, which are an enabling technology for gridconnected vehicle deployment Advance Public and Private Fleet Penetration and Regional Deployment Efforts
Advance Public and Private Fleet Penetration and Regional Deployment Efforts
> Expand incentives for private and municipal fleet purchases, including accelerated depreciation/expensing/tax credit options for commercial fleets to promote fleet turnover
> Promote federal fleet penetration through expanded recognition of electric drive options in the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule and work with Department of Energy’s EPAct and Federal Energy Management Programs (FEMP) to educate and assist federal, state and covered fleets in acquiring electric drive vehicles
> Support coordinated vehicle and infrastructure deployment
> Expand existing local deployment programs to include coordinated demonstrations that include utility, infrastructure and vehicle solutions in Clean Cities and other programs
> Support regional deployment programs that provide federal support for regional
scale vehicle and infrastructure deployment
Promote Electric Drive in Transit and Commercial Applications
> Expand support for all electric drive technologies in the Surface Transportation Authorization bill including research, development, and deployment of battery electric, hybrid and fuel cell public transit and commercial vehicles and related infrastructure
> Support greater role for Department of Transportation in electric drive expansion, including an expanded role in hydrogen infrastructure standard-setting to include new hydrogen infrastructure demonstration programs
2. Expand U.S. Manufacturing Capacity
Producing new electric drive vehicle fleets will require a revitalized manufacturing base to build up U.S. advanced vehicle manufacturing capacity for next-generation hybrid,battery, plug-in and fuel cell vehicles for consumer, commercial and government customers. Congress and the Administration provided key funds for manufacturing support in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The emerging U.S. industry, however, continues to be constrained by lack of access to investment capital. Expanded support for manufacturing will expand U.S. competitiveness while building the green technology workforce.
Promote federal support for expansion of electric drive transportation-related manufacturing
> Provide additional funds, including grants and loans, for the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program
> Expand federal electric drive manufacturing support to include medium and heavy duty manufacturing in the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program
> Remove the funding cap on Sec 48C credits for advanced energy investments
> Expand bonding authority for investments in electric drive facilities and related infrastructure (electric and hydrogen)
Strengthen and expand upstream supply chain
> Increase access to low cost capital for suppliers, including expanded bonding authority and tooling construction loans for U.S. facilities
> Reduce unwarranted regulatory constraints on key material and component transportation
> Provide analysis and education on potential and perceived component and materials constraints
3. Establish Coherent Regulatory Policies for Electric Drive Vehicles and Infrastructure
Multiple regulatory and standard-setting bodies are developing policies regarding electric drive, including vehicle efficiency metrics, charging and refueling equipment standards and metering and information management protocols. Federal and state regulatory requirements must advance coherent goals for safe, efficient, clean and ubiquitous electric drive transportation.
> Coordinate regulatory approaches with electrification goals: Promote harmonization of technical standards, environmental valuation and safety requirements
> Promote national standards for plug-in vehicles and recharging infrastructure through the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other federal standards organizations, including ensuring compatibility of connectors through standards (including requiring SAE/UL approval for Phase 1, 2, 3 connectors)
> Establish accurate recognition of electric drive efficiency and emissions in regulatory processes, including the Environmental Protection AgencyNHTSA rulemaking on greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle efficiency process
> Support ongoing and flexible state regulation on the issues of “portable billing” and “home billing”, as a superior alternative to a national billing mechanism requirement
> Support state regulation of utility rates to promote utility incentives for grid
Recognition in Carbon-Constraint Regimes
> In the coming year, the Congress and the Administration will continue to debate how to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing the efficiency and sustainability of the transportation sector is an indispensable part of that debate, as is the potential role of electric drive.
> Any national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including cap and trade and credit/allowance allocation regimes, must acknowledge the importance of vehicle electrification and ensure appropriate valuation and recognition of electric drive benefits.
Coordinate Grid-Connected Transportation with Smart Grid Development & Deployment
> Reduce disincentives for utility investments in grid-connected transportation and related smart grid technologies
> Support demonstration and deployment of utility-scale energy storage through transportation energy storage systems
> Work with regulators to address potential Smart Grid issues impacting grid infrastructure upgrades, privacy, cyber security, connectivity and vehicle telematics
4. Accelerate Technology Breakthroughs
In combination with private sector efforts, federal research can speed the maturation of electric drive enabling technologies, bringing down costs and improving performance. The Departments of Energy and Transportation, and other federal agencies, are critical partners in technology development. A multi-year commitment to robust resources for research, development and demonstration of diverse electric drive technologies will accelerate technology advances and deployment, and bring us closer to achieving economy-wide adoption goals.
> Support annual appropriations and long term authorizations for electric drive research, demonstration and deployment, including:
>> Increased electric drive efforts across agencies, including the Departments of Transportation and Defense and
>> Robust support for the Department of Energy’s electric drive portfolio, including vehicles, batteries and energy storage programs and support for additional programs identified in EISA 07
> Full funding for electric transportation demonstrations authorized in EISA Sec. 131, including light and heavy-duty BEV and PHEV demonstrations and deployment grants for non-road electric drive applications, as well as Section 641 Energy Storage Competitiveness programs; expanded electric drive systems and component research programs
> Refining the Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Program goals with a focused effort to overcome remaining barriers to commercializing fuel cell technology for electric drive, including increased funding for research, development and infrastructure deployment programs in priority areas, and extension and full funding for authorized fuel cell vehicle market transformation programs
> Providing meaningful funding for on-board smart charging and off-board hydrogen refueling infrastructure development
> Coordinating grid-connected transportation in Smart Grid equipment, demonstration and deployment programs
> Promoting development of off -road, rail and marine electric drive applications and establishing programs supporting their deployment
5. Promote Public and Private Outreach and Education to Increase Consumer Awareness
Commercial scale adoption of electric drive technologies will also require the acceptance of the public. Credible information about the benefits, safety and requirements of electric drive is crucial and must be widely available to consumers, usinesses and state and local governments.
> Consumers need to understand how electric drive vehicles will meet their demands for safety, durability, performance and sustainability
> Energy providers need information to plan for the penetration of grid-connected vehicles and manage changing electricity demand
> State and local governments need access to unbiased information on diverse electric drive applications and how to best to accelerate their adoption
> For its part, EDTA is coordinating a stakeholder outreach effort, the National Plug-In Vehicle Initiative, to provide essential information on plug-in electric drive technology to consumers and public and private stakeholders, including outreach and information to state and local legislators, regulators, utilities on plug-in technologies, infrastructure impact and implementation strategies.
> We are also educating the public and policymakers through our website, which is a portal to the most up-to-date industry information and analysis of electric drive technologies and their benefits.
www.electricdrive.org/index.php
