Electrify America (profiled in the July/August 2018 issue of Charged) has been making headlines for the comprehensive network of fast charging stations it’s building. But the company’s mission also includes increasing awareness of EVs, and trying to make them more accessible to disadvantaged and low-income communities.

To that end, EA has announced a collaboration with six California organizations to develop community-based programs to support brand-neutral education and awareness programs. Electrify America is investing $2.7 million in the education and outreach campaign.

The organizations collaborating with Electrify America on this particular initiative are: Valley Clean Air Now (Valley CAN); Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE); Chinese Newcomers Service Center (CNSC); Self Help for the Elderly (SHE); Liberty Hill Foundation (LHF) and GRID Alternatives. More than 75 non-profit, private and public entities from across California were invited to submit proposals.

• Valley CAN will launch an educational campaign that offers disadvantaged community members an opportunity to experience driving ZEVs, and will provide hands-on help with qualifying for available ZEV incentives, including coordination with local vehicle dealerships.
• PACE’s ZEV Awareness & Education program targets curricula for K-12 students and low-income, minority, immigrant and refugee populations throughout the Los Angeles area. This project will include outreach and education with in-language ZEV education materials.
• CNSC, based in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown, will develop ZEV educational programs for Chinese immigrants.
• Self Help for the Elderly will work with community-based organizations to provide ZEV education services to disadvantaged and low-income communities from Sacramento to San Diego in at least six languages, and will work with ride hail drivers to highlight the economic benefits to their businesses of shifting to ZEVs.
• Liberty Hill Foundation will focus on connecting low-income households with grassroots groups, distributing ZEV education materials, hosting public education and awareness programs, and providing access to ride and drive events and clean car clinics.
• GRID Alternatives will support the CARB One-Stop-Shop pilot, which is designed to pair ZEV education and awareness activities in disadvantaged communities with streamlined access to available ZEV funding.

Source: Green Car Congress