CENTRAL COAST, CA - The Air Pollution Control Districts in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties today announced that they have secured $250,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission to develop an Electric Vehicle Community Readiness Plan for the Central Coast of California. One of the goals is to develop a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging infrastructure along the Highway 101 corridor through the Central Coast, connecting Southern California and the Bay Area.

“We are excited by the securing of these grant monies. This funding will be used to facilitate all aspects of the installation of PEV charging stations on the Central Coast, which is forecast as an early adopter market for PEVs,” said Stan Cowen, Ventura County APCD Project Engineer. Electric vehicles are gaining popularity and to accommodate these new vehicles a cohesive infrastructure plan is needed to ensure a smooth rollout of the new transportation technology.

The three air agencies, working with non-profit organizations - the Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition and the Community Environmental Council - have created an EV Coordinating Council (Plug-In Central Coast) to support the emerging PEV market on the Central Coast. These local efforts are part of a larger statewide effort to expand EV infrastructure throughout the state of California. The Coordinating Council will be looking to local representatives from the various jurisdictions to collect input and guidance throughout this process. Workshops and Toolkits will soon be assembled to assist local decision makers in their efforts to prepare for the increased use of electric vehicles throughout our communities.

For more information see www.c-5.org