Electric vision: King County working to become first national proving ground for electric vehicles

With the introduction of the nation’s first mass-produced, commercially available electric vehicles less than a year away, King County is working with other municipal leaders to spearhead an effort that could transform the Seattle metropolitan area into a nationwide hub for green-vehicle technology.

The county’s Department of Transportation today briefed members of the Metropolitan King County Council on several partnerships in the works with the federal government, other municipalities and private companies – such as Ford Motor Company and Nissan – to bring some of the nation’s cleanest fuels and hybrid-electric technology available to our area.  These partnerships come just seven months after the county launched a groundbreaking initiative to develop and test new clean-vehicle technologies and to spur nationwide consumer demand for electric and battery powered vehicles.

On Wednesday, three grant applications will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy seeking a total of $425 million for transportation electrification projects around the United States. The Puget Sound area is the only region included in all three applications, and King County is a partner in all of the grants. Several Eastside cities are also participating on these proposals, including Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton and Sammamish. These partnerships emerged from Puget Sound New Energy Solutions, a consortium of municipalities and utilities in the four-county region, developing a common regional vision for clean-energy investments.

“While it’s too early to predict how many federal grants will ultimately come our way, we have a fascinating preview of what the future has in store for King County,” said Interim King County Executive Kurt Triplett. “Not only will these public-private partnerships allow us to test some of the cleanest fuels available, but they also have the potential for moving us into the national forefront in demonstrating innovative concepts such as vehicle battery exchange stations, and electric-powered vans and heavy equipment.”

“The collaboration and creative thinking between government agencies was critical to receiving these funding grants especially in these tough economic times,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, who chairs the council’s Physical Environment Committee and was the prime sponsor of a council motion to increase the viability of this technology. “Plug-in electric vehicles are a critical step in reducing our energy consumption and King County continues to lead the way in the development of this exciting technology.”

Councilmember Kathy Lambert’s district includes several of the Eastside cities participating on the proposals. “Partnerships such as this are an invaluable tool in developing a regional vision for clean energy investments. These cost-effective measures will have long term benefits to KC taxpayers.”

The grant applications are an expansion of work already underway and part of a much larger vision for the county. This summer, King County Metro Transit will add 22 plug-in electric charging stations to the 17 existing charging stations at park-and-ride lots and transit centers.

With automotive manufacturers set to launch the nation’s first mass-produced, reasonably priced, plug-in electric vehicles beginning in 2010, King County has been looking to new electric-vehicle technology as the key to energy efficient transportation and job creation for the coming decade.

The vision for this new technology is far reaching. The county hopes to be selected for partnerships that would bring:

• Several hundred additional plug-in vehicle charging stations all across King County – many at Metro Transit facilities. The charging stations would be installed at transit facilities and sites provided by the public and private partners, including the Eastside cities;
• Two innovative “battery exchange” stations in King County. These stations would function much like a car wash – drive through and your old battery is swapped-out with a fresh one;
• 15 new Ford Azure plug-in hybrid electric mini buses to serve Metro paratransit customers who require specialized public transportation services; and
• The acquisition of 75 Nissan all-electric vehicles for use in the county’s vanshare and motor pool programs.

In addition to these efforts, King County is piloting new green-management standards as part of an “Evergreen Fleets Initiative” launched with 21 government agencies at the county’s 2007 Clean Vehicles NOW! Conference. The goal of the initiative is to establish specific strategies that will help government fleets purchase clean vehicles and adopt policies that promote uniform best practices in fleet operations.

King County is pursuing these initiatives to cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions – a leading cause of air pollution. The grant applications that are approved will likely be launched within the next three years.

This release is also posted on the King County Executive's Web site, at www.kingcounty.gov/exec