This summer, the RI Office of Energy Resources is planning on launching DRIVE EV, an incentive program to help drivers access electric vehicles (EVs). This program is desperately needed, as Rhode Island has the lowest EV adoption rate in all of New England (and much of the US). Here’s what you need to know.

If you are on the lookout for a new set of electric wheels, you have probably been met with frustration and low inventory. But we urge you to keep the faith, as EVs are well worth the wait. Not convinced yet? Continue reading to see what EV owners think of their cars.  

The Massachusetts Senate made big news last week by passing a massive climate bill that tackles transportation, buildings, and our electricity supply. This bill is supposed to put the pedal to the metal so that the state has the policies it needs in place to achieve the emissions reduction targets included in last year’s Climate Roadmap bill: first and foremost, a 50% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions under 1990 levels by 2030. Here’s what this bill means for our efforts to phase out gasoline in Massachusetts – and the key next steps.

For the past three years, my spouse and I have been enjoying our retirement by taking extended camping and paddling trips throughout the Northeast, driving our 2019 Kia e-Niro EV. In this blog, we’ll use our most recent trip as an example of a typical two-week camping/paddling adventure, discuss all the gear we pack onto and into the car, and how we avoid suffering from any range anxiety.

Without question, the electric vehicle (EV) revolution is underway.  At some point later this decade, we will see cost-parity, meaning that the upfront cost of an EV will be comparable to its fossil fuel-burning counterpart. Given that EVs cost so much less to operate and maintain, that point will be the tipping point. However, we have to reach that point and, for most consumers, state level incentives will be needed to spur adoption to the levels necessary for states to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2025 and 2030.   

Some politicians in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are calling on their state governments to reduce or eliminate the gas tax in response to rising prices since Russia invaded Ukraine a couple weeks ago. That’s an awful idea and political pandering at its worst.

Last week, Rhode Island legislators Sen. Alana DiMario and Rep. Terri Cortvriend introduced bills setting a target of 100% of new cars registered being electric vehicles by 2030. The legislation (H. 7653 and S. 2448) creates a process to plan for the infrastructure and other changes involving cars, trucks, and public transportation in order to meet the 2030 target, which is critical for the state to meet its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reductions under the Act on Climate. Following Rhode Island’s withdrawal from the Transportation and Climate Initiative, the bill represents a new approach to tackling pollution from transportation, the region’s largest source of emissions.

It’s almost here! The all-new 2023 Nissan Ariya is available for reservations now. If you’re not excited, you will be soon.

Volkswagen ID.4, Toyota RAV4 Prime, and Ford Mustang Mach-E. These are the new cars that the Drive Green team is asked about the most. So why aren’t they on the Electric Car Shopping Tool? 

Transportation is the largest source of climate-warming emissions in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, so Green Energy Consumers Alliance is focused on finding policy solutions to advance low-carbon alternatives to gasoline. How the states structure their transportation budgets will be a key factor for how they expect to meet 2030 climate mandates.