Click here to download the white paper.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) released a new white paper today, titled ‘The Next EV Market: Expanding Electrification in Rural America,’ exploring the benefits and challenges of rural transportation electrification. The paper provides a deep dive into commonly held assumptions about rural driving patterns, infrastructure, and the potential economic impact of electric vehicles (EVs) —drawing conclusions and recommendations based on its findings.
“Our white paper dispels many of the conventional assumptions about how electric vehicles will fare in rural areas and illustrates how thoughtful planning and investment into transportation electrification can reduce costs and create real economic opportunities for rural communities,” said Joe Britton, Executive Director of ZETA. “A little more than a century ago, electricity was considered a cosmopolitan luxury, but after robust federal investment and creative local policies, rural electrification happened and improved millions of lives. With the same initiative and cooperative spirit, the same thing can happen with electric vehicles.”
The white paper found that despite its potential, investments in transportation electrification have largely bypassed rural Americans. Still, EVs have the power to deliver substantial financial savings for individual drivers and households. In addition to saving on gasoline, EVs have a significantly lower total cost of ownership (TCO) because of reduced maintenance and service costs.
“One of the most interesting findings of the white paper is that transportation electrification allows any state to be an “auto state” because of the broad array of electric vehicle component suppliers and manufacturers across the country,” said Leilani Gonzalez, ZETA’s Policy Director. “The electric transportation revolution allows states to incorporate electric vehicles into their future transportation plans and create more jobs in their communities."
The white paper's core recommendation for rural electrification is the immediate need for local, state, and federal government officials to work with relevant stakeholders to build out critical infrastructure. The coordinated expansion of chargers, transmission lines, high-speed internet, and job training opportunities will not only increase EV adoption rates, but also bolster rural manufacturing opportunities and local investment.
Click here to download the white paper.
About ZETA
The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) is a federal coalition focused on advocating for 100% EV sales by 2030. ZETA is committed to enacting policies that drive EV adoption, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, secure American global EV manufacturing leadership, drastically improve public health, and significantly reduce carbon pollution.
