SAN FRANCISCO – Last week, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Board of Directors approved $5 million to support further development of a regional electric vehicle charging infrastructure program in the Bay Area.
Today, the Department of Energy announced the program is designed to make electric vehicle ownership a viable option for residents in the Bay Area. The EV charging stations and home chargers are part of BAAQMD’s Spare the Air program.
“The past several years have seen exciting progress in the development of electric vehicle technology,” said Air District Executive Officer Jack P. Broadbent. “Creating a useful charging network will make it easier for Bay Area residents to Spare the Air every day by going electric.”
The Air District is working to support at-home electric vehicle charging and to establish a network of accessible charging sites where electric vehicle owners can conveniently recharge while conducting their normal business, running errands or shopping.
The program will leverage up to $5 million in Air District funds to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure grants including:
- 3,000 home chargers at single family and multi-family dwellings
- 2,000 public chargers at employer and high-density parking areas
- 50 fast chargers within close proximity to highways
In the Bay Area, the transportation sector accounts for more than 50 percent of air pollution. Significant emission reductions from the transportation sector will help the Bay area attain and maintain state and national air quality standards.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (www.baaqmd.gov) is the regional agency chartered with protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.
Download the 2010-08-04 BAAQMD News Release
More news on the web:
- Bay Area to install over 5,000 EV charging stations – CNET, August 11, 2010
- San Francisco Bay Area Gets $5 Million for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations – U.S. Department of Energy, August 11, 2010
