Portland General Electric (PGE) has announced plans to advance Oregon’s transition to a clean energy future with new investments in electric transportation for car owners and mass transit riders.
This announcement follows the approval of PGE’s Transportation Electrification Plan by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. This plan is part of the company’s commitment to expand access to clean energy options for its customers and advance the state’s goals toward a decarbonized energy system, says PGE.
“An electrified transportation system is critical to a carbon-free economy, and the approval of our plan is a big step in that direction,” comments Bill Nicholson, PGE’s senior vice president of customer service, transmission and distribution. “This plan is going to significantly increase accessibility, affordability and reliability of a charging infrastructure – further enabling our customers to choose electricity as their transportation fuel.”
Specifically, the plan includes the following initiatives:
- Partnership with TriMet to enable Oregon’s first all-electric bus route: PGE will install and manage six bus charging stations, creating an infrastructure to support an entirely electric bus route in Beaverton. The partnership also enables TriMet to purchase an additional electric bus.
- Electric Avenue charging stations expanding to six locations: The charging stations will be strategically located across PGE’s service area.
- Three-year outreach and technical assistance to support customers interested in transitioning to EVs: Outreach will include technical assistance to builders and commercial and industrial customers, as well as ride-and-drive events to expose more Oregonians to the opportunities to adopt an electrified mode of travel.
“Our innovative partnership with PGE allows us to not only test clean-running electric buses, but thanks to their support, we are able to expand this test fleet from four to five buses,” says TriMet’s interim general manager, Shelley Devine. “TriMet and PGE are helping to lay the groundwork for a future greener fleet in the greater Portland area.”
Approval of PGE’s plan follows Gov. Kate Brown’s executive order, issued in November 2017, establishing a goal of 50,000 registered EVs in Oregon by 2020.