Using Electric Vehicles to Create a Sustainable City of Berkeley

Editor’s Note: This is Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates’ first post for Gas 2.0. Mayor Bates is the latest to join The Great Electric Vehicle Race.

Last month, our city council adopted Berkeley’s bold Climate Action Plan.  This plan calls for systemic action, by all Berkeley residents and agencies to reduce our city’s greenhouse gas (GHG) consumption by 80% below 2000 levels by the year 2050, and the investment in electric vehicle infrastructure will be a key method for achieving these larger goals.

• » See also: Is the Renault-Nissan Alliance Going in Two Different Electric Car Directions?
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In partnership with City CarShare and Berkeley-based 3Prong Power, we recently unveiled the nation’s first converted plug-in hybrid electric municipal fleet vehicle (PHEV).  The Berkeley partnership is unique, because cars reserved for city fleet use during business hours, including the new converted plug-in hybrid, are shared by other City CarShare members on weekends and evenings.

We expect to expand the number of CarShare PHEV nodes in neighborhoods throughout Berkeley in the coming years.  Our hope is that after having experienced the benefits of electric vehicles, our citizens will be motivated to invest in this eco-friendly technology for their private use when considering new automobile purchases.

It is clear that in order for the ‘Race for Electric Vehicles’ to be successful, we must approach this plan from a regional level.  The City of Berkeley is proud to be partnering with other governmental groups throughout the Bay Area as we work to create a corridor of infrastructure that encourages electric vehicle usage, and is committed to every effort in creating a sustainable Berkeley.

MORE:

• San Francisco: SF Plugs In To the Future with Electric Vehicle Recharging Stations
• Seattle: Seattle will be the Leader in Clean Energy and Electric Vehicles
• Portland: Portland Will Continue as Hub for the Electric Car Industry
• Sign up to get an electric car or conversion from our friends at 1BOG.
• Get involved in The Great Electric Car Race, Tweet this post, or post to your Facebook Profile.

Image Courtesy phoosh via Flickr under Creative Commons License.

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