{"id":31175,"date":"2021-03-22T13:20:33","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T18:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?page_id=31175"},"modified":"2021-03-24T15:45:06","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T20:45:06","slug":"ev","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/ev\/","title":{"rendered":"Electrifying Transportation in Low-Income Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that vehicle pollution is the worst driver of climate change, electric vehicles (EVs) can help Illinois deliver cleaner air, cheaper transportation and lower energy costs for all consumers. Many people equate EVs with expensive passenger vehicles like Teslas, but the commercial and public sectors can also electrify\u2014such as buses, or delivery vehicles. In its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/EV-for-All.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20-page guide, \u201cEV for All: Electrifying Transportation in Low-Income Communities,\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> CUB argues that low-income communities can and should be placed at the center of EV policy.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=&#8221;Download our guide: EV for All&#8221; style=&#8221;classic&#8221; color=&#8221;success&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizensutilityboard.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F06%2FEV-for-All.pdf|target:_blank&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research has shown that under-resourced Chicago neighborhoods are disproportionately burdened by air pollution and punishing energy bills. Additionally, they\u2019re often located near polluting transportation corridors but far from good transit options.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But good EV policies offer key solutions. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/electric-vehicles-could-lower-power-bills-for-all-illinois-residents-new-study-finds\/\"><b>CUB\u2019s research team found<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that programs encouraging EV owners and fleet managers to charge their vehicles when electricity costs are low (typically in the middle of the night) could help manage power grid costs and spark up to $2.6 billion in cumulative energy savings for all consumers\u2014even those who don\u2019t drive EVs\u2014over the next decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EV prices at this time may be too expensive for many families, but CUB proposes creative solutions to ensure that everyone can benefit from EVs, including low-income neighborhoods:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Income-based rebates for used EVs and home chargers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Income-based swap programs to encourage trading-in polluting gasoline cars for EVs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Geo-targeted public charge station development (with discounts for local residents).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Low-cost \u201clast-mile\u201d transportation options, such as car-sharing, e-scooters and e-bikes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electric buses that are targeted for communities in \u201ctransit deserts.\u201d (In a test program, two e-buses saved the City of Chicago $54,000 a year in fuel and maintenance costs.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The electrification of municipal fleets (police cruisers, garbage trucks, snow plows).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrification of commercial trucks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Optimized charging to reduce costs for everyone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many of these ideas are included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), which is currently before the Illinois General Assembly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur message has always been that the right EV policy benefits everyone, even people who don\u2019t drive electric vehicles,\u201d CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. \u201cUp until now, the communities that could most benefit from EVs have too often been denied those benefits. But with creative solutions, Illinois policymakers can use vehicle electrification as a mechanism to reduce energy and transportation costs as well as pollution for low-income neighborhoods. We are advocating for strong clean energy policy\u2014like the Clean Energy Jobs Act\u2014that brings EV benefits to everyone in the state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/EV-for-All.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Download our guide, \u201cEV for All: Electrifying Transportation in Low-Income Communities,\u201d here.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div>And please\u00a0check out CUB&#8217;s other volumes in the ABCs of EVs series:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2017_The-ABCs-of-EVs-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2017_The-ABCs-of-EVs-Report.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1616701356495000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEc5AuimaSObqndLCxCgLM6PBturw\">The ABCs of EVs: A Guide for Policy Makers and Consumer Advocates<\/a>\u00a0(Vol. 1)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Charging-Ahead-Deriving-Value-from-Electric-Vehicles-for-All-Electricity-Customers-v6-031419.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Charging-Ahead-Deriving-Value-from-Electric-Vehicles-for-All-Electricity-Customers-v6-031419.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1616701356495000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFMniP2P2a51OZUy-ELCPhPCOYkSQ\">Charging Ahead: Deriving Value from Electric Vehicles for All Electricity Customers<\/a>\u00a0(Vol. 2)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_31182\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EV-for-All-infographic.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31182\" class=\"wp-image-31182 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EV-for-All-infographic-320x800.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EV-for-All-infographic-320x800.png 320w, https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EV-for-All-infographic-120x300.png 120w, https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EV-for-All-infographic-768x1920.png 768w, https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EV-for-All-infographic-614x1536.png 614w, https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/EV-for-All-infographic.png 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-31182\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click to view the infographic in full.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]Now that vehicle pollution is the worst driver of climate change, electric vehicles (EVs) can help Illinois deliver cleaner air, cheaper transportation and lower energy costs for all consumers. Many people equate EVs with expensive passenger vehicles like Teslas, but the commercial and public sectors can also electrify\u2014such as buses, or delivery vehicles. In its 20-page guide, \u201cEV for All: Electrifying Transportation in Low-Income Communities,\u201d CUB argues that low-income communities can and should be placed at the center of EV policy.[\/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=&#8221;Download our guide: EV for All&#8221; style=&#8221;classic&#8221; color=&#8221;success&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizensutilityboard.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F06%2FEV-for-All.pdf|target:_blank&#8221;][vc_column_text]Research has shown that under-resourced Chicago neighborhoods are disproportionately burdened by air pollution and punishing energy bills. Additionally, they\u2019re often located near polluting transportation corridors but far from good transit options.\u00a0 But good EV policies offer key solutions. CUB\u2019s research team found that programs encouraging EV owners and fleet managers to charge their vehicles when electricity costs are low (typically in the middle of the night) could help manage power grid costs and spark up to $2.6 billion in cumulative energy savings for all consumers\u2014even those who don\u2019t drive EVs\u2014over the next decade.\u00a0 EV prices at this time may be too expensive for many families, but CUB proposes creative solutions to ensure that everyone can benefit from EVs, including low-income neighborhoods: Income-based rebates for used EVs and home chargers. Income-based swap programs to encourage trading-in polluting gasoline cars for EVs. Geo-targeted public charge station development (with discounts for local residents). Low-cost \u201clast-mile\u201d transportation options, such as car-sharing, e-scooters and e-bikes. Electric buses that are targeted for communities in \u201ctransit deserts.\u201d (In a test program, two e-buses saved the City of Chicago $54,000 a year in fuel and maintenance costs.) The electrification of municipal fleets (police cruisers, garbage trucks, snow plows).\u00a0 Electrification of commercial trucks. Optimized charging to reduce costs for everyone. Many of these ideas are included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), which is currently before the Illinois General Assembly. \u201cOur message has always been that the right EV policy benefits everyone, even people who don\u2019t drive electric vehicles,\u201d CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. \u201cUp until now, the communities that could most benefit from EVs have too often been denied those benefits. But with creative solutions, Illinois policymakers can use vehicle electrification as a mechanism to reduce energy and transportation costs as well as pollution for low-income neighborhoods. We are advocating for strong clean energy policy\u2014like the Clean Energy Jobs Act\u2014that brings EV benefits to everyone in the state.\u201d Download our guide, \u201cEV for All: Electrifying Transportation in Low-Income Communities,\u201d here. And please\u00a0check out CUB&#8217;s other volumes in the ABCs of EVs series: The ABCs of EVs: A Guide for Policy Makers and Consumer Advocates\u00a0(Vol. 1) Charging Ahead: Deriving Value from Electric Vehicles for All Electricity Customers\u00a0(Vol. 2) [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text] [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-31175","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31175\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}