A coalition of major environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, will announce November 14 a major new initiative aimed to put a million electric cars (including plug-in hybrids) on California roads by 2023. The Charge Ahead California campaign will have public awareness aspects, but it’s largely aimed at getting new legislation passed in a state that already does more for EVs than most others.
The new program has a distinct environmental justice angle to it, as it’s a partnership with state-based groups that fight for equal opportunity, including Communities for a Better Environment and The Greenlining Institute.
The Tesla Model S may be the top-selling model in some elite California zipcodes, but neither it nor more affordable cars like the Nissan LEAF are often seen less-wealthy neighborhoods. The coalition campaign will point out that lower-income households are disproportionately impacted by California’s air pollution and would benefit from zero-emission transportation.
Four out of 10 state residents live near enough to a freeway or crowded road to be at risk from asthma, cancer or other afflictions, the campaign said. And almost twice as many Californians die from traffic-related pollution than from auto accidents.
More plugincars.com
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.