Plug In America (PIA) is a

501(c) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)). Such organizations are exempt from some federal income taxes. Sections 503 through 505 set o ...

(3)

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

educational organization that promotes and advocates the use of plug-in cars, trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) powered by domestic and

renewable electricity Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and ...

which it claims will help reduce dependence on

fossil fuels A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geologica ...

, improve the global environment and reduce

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

es and

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. PIA advocates the development of

plug-in hybrid electric vehicle A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or simply plug-in hybrid is a type of hybrid electric vehicle equipped with a rechargeable battery pack that can be directly replenished via a charging cable plugged into an external electric power s ...

battery electric vehicle A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that uses electrical energy exclusively from an electric vehicle battery, on-boa ...

s, and other vehicles which use electricity, from the

power grid ''Power Grid'' is the English-language version of the second edition of the multiplayer German-style board game ''Funkenschlag'', designed by Friedemann Friese and first released in 2004. ''Power Grid'' was released by Rio Grande Games. I ...

or from electricity-generating devices such as

solar cells A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.

, as a substantial source of motive energy.

History

Plug In America was founded by a group of

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

advocates that earlier formed DontCrush.com, a coalition organized to stop automobile manufacturers from destroying electric vehicles at the end of their lease. Because of DontCrush.com's previous success in preventing the destruction of

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

and

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

electric car models, and exposing

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

' decision to discontinue its plug-in hybrid, the group hoped to strengthen its cause for plug-in vehicles by forming PIA. The film ''

Who Killed the Electric Car? ''Who Killed the Electric Car?'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Chris Paine that explores the creation, limited commercialization and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the ...

'' documented the actions of Plug In America's founders and brought increased attention to the subject. Following this, Plug In America officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2008. In 2009, supporters of Plug In America emailed more than 50,000 letters to members of Congress, resulting in the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicle purchases being included in the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a Stimulus (economics), stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed ...

. In 2011, Plug In America partnered with the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

and

Electric Auto Association The Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit educational organization that promotes the advancement and widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles. It was formed in 1967 in San Jose, California. Members The ...

to create the first National Plug-In Day, which included events promoting electric vehicles across the United States. The annual event has since grown to National Drive Electric Week. After eight years of being primarily volunteer-run, in 2015, Plug In America hired its first executive director, Joel Levin. Since that time, the organization has grown to include eleven additional staff members as of April 2022. The organization's mission is to drive change to accelerate the shift to plug-in vehicles powered by clean, affordable, domestic electricity to reduce our nation's dependence on

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

, improve air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Programs

Plug In America helps consumers, policy-makers, auto manufacturers and others to understand the benefits of driving electric vehicles. It provides practical, objective information to help consumers select the best plug-in vehicle for their lifestyles and needs. The organization orchestrates electric car test drives and ride-alongs in communities around the country. Plug In America partners with the

and

for National Drive Electric Week, held annually each September. The 2018 National Drive Electric Week included more than 185,000 attendees across 321 events in all 50 states, plus Canada and New Zealand. National Drive Electric Week events include ride-and-drives, car showcases, parades, press conferences, and speeches from elected officials. For 2019, in addition to the fall National Drive Electric Week, the group is launching an annual Drive Electric Earth Day (DEED) in April, which also incorporates

Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...

events in the U.S.,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and other countries. In 2017, Plug In America partnered with the Department of Energy to hold ride-and-drive events in the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, and other communities across America. The group also conducts ride-and-drive events in the

greater Los Angeles area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

through partnerships with

Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (SCE), the largest subsidiary of Edison International, is the primary electric utility company for much of Southern California. It provides 15 million people with electricity across a service territory of approximate ...

and

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal Public utility, utility in the United States with 8,100 megawatts of electric generating capacity (2021–2022) and delivering an average of 435 million gallons of wat ...

. Plug In America advocates for policies that promote electric vehicles at the federal and state levels, including extending the federal EV tax credit, expanding California's zero-emission vehicles mandates to more states, increasing access to charging infrastructure, access to HOV lanes, and registration incentives. In 2017, Plug In America supporters sent letters and made calls to Congress to save the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. Also, in 2017, they promoted EV legislation in states including California,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, Georgia,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. They host an annual EV ride-and-drive for U.S. senators to give lawmakers the opportunity to experience electric vehicles. In June 2018, the group released the AchiEVe toolkit of policies promoting EV adoption for state and local governments. The organization develope
PlugStar
a program that improves the EV purchase experience. Plug In America provides training for automotive dealers on various aspects of EV ownership, including government incentives for EVs, utility rates and programs, and emerging best practices in EV sales, to better assist consumers considering an electric vehicle. Pilot programs to train automotive dealers were launched in San Diego and

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 2017, followed by programs in Los Angeles and

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

. Additionally, the PlugStar online tools provide consumers with vehicle comparisons, information on charging equipment, tax credits and other incentives, and options to contact PlugStar-certified dealers. In 2018, the organization presented the first annual Drive Electric Awards to individuals and organizations that have contributed to the EV movement. In 2019, the organization launched an EV Support Program to provide current and potential EV drivers with one-on-one assistance.

References

External links

Plug In America

Drive Electric Earth DayNational Drive Electric WeekPlugStarCalCars

Electric Auto AssociationPlug-In Partners

Plug-in Vehicle Tracker
-

s available now, as "Cars & Trucks" or "2 & 3 Wheel Vehicles" listing "Make, Model & Type", "Features" (including price, speed, range), "Status" (including where available), plus pictures. {{Energy in the USA Non-profit organizations based in California Electric vehicle organizations 501(c)(3) organizations

History

Programs

See also

References

External links