AASHTO Journal - Vermont Governor Signs-Off on EV Incentive Efforts

Several measures within a transportation bill signed into law July 16 by Governor Phil Scott (R) seek to boost the “electrification” of Vermont’s transportation system – including the use of special electric vehicle purchase-price incentives reserved for low- and moderate-income state households.

“Electrifying the transportation sector will help clean the air and keep millions of dollars within our economy,” Gov. Scott said in a statement. “While more work needs to be done, Vermont has taken strong steps toward a renewable transportation sector. Accelerating vehicle electrification will continue to be a priority of my administration.”

That includes providing $1.1 million to help low- and moderate-income Vermonters purchase or lease all-electric vehicles; a program is limited to households at or below 160 percent of the median household income in the state – about $92,000 – and to EVs with a base manufacturer suggested retail price of $40,000 or less.

Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan establishes a goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in the transportation sector to 10 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050 – which translates into a goal of deploying some 50,000 plug-in electric vehicles or PEVs in Vermont within six years. Currently, there are about 3,100 PEVs registered in Vermont, the governor’s office noted.

Other transportation electrification initiatives being launched by Vermont include:

Accelerating transition to EVs within the state’s vehicle fleet, setting a standard to ensure at least 50 percent of vehicles purchased or leased by the Department of Buildings and General Services will be hybrid or PEVs models.
Using Vermont’s share of the nationwide settlement with Volkswagen due to its violation of the Clean Air Act to fund the construction of EV recharging stations. So far Vermont has provided more than $1 million to build 30 new re-charging stations across the state, including Level 2 and Level 3 fast-charging locations that offer one-hour and 20-minute recharging capability, respectively.
Those 30 new locations – which will open over the next year – will join an existing network of 26 Level 3 fast charging sites and 191 Level 2 charging sites across the state.