11 results for tag: electric vehicles

Are Electric UTVs the Future of Agriculture?

What comes to mind when you hear the word “EV”? Sleek, shiny sedans plugged into charging stations across the urban landscape? Monochromatic motor vehicles whirring down the highway in near silence? The clean future of commuter culture? If “rugged terrain,” “agriculture”, and “farm work” aren’t words that spring to mind, you aren’t alone. But OEC – and plenty of others – envision a future for electric vehicles that spans far beyond that city-centric view of them that so many of us hold. Meet: the Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic. From a distance, these enclosed four-wheelers might look like the average UTV you’d find on any ...

Electrifying Oregon’s Local Economies

To advance an equitable transition to electric vehicles, OEC recently partnered with several local women- and/or BIPOC-owned small businesses to invest in on-the-ground workforce development, consumer education, job creation, and business competitiveness – all powered by funding from the Oregon Clean Fuels Program via PGE’s Drive Change Fund.

Clean Cars Are the Future – It’s Time to Update Oregon’s Standards

It is (past) time we break up with oil! Not only do the big changes in the price of gas affect our wallets, but burning fossil fuels is bad for the climate and our health. Oregon has the opportunity to be a leader in the transition to electric vehicles and get on the path to meeting our climate pollution reduction goals by adopting the Advanced Clean Car II Rules. CLIMATE Transportation is the largest climate-polluting sector in Oregon, making up about 40 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. Over 60 percent of this pollution comes from passenger cars and trucks. As we have seen the past few summers with unprecedented heat waves and wildfires, ...

Getting an electric vehicle just got easier!

Electric vehicles are only becoming more popular and affordable. Though we still need to find ways to drive less, EVs are a great alternative for cleaner mobility.  Thanks to some new policies and state investments, many of them supported by OEC, there are more accessible options today for low carbon transportation.  Transportation is still responsible for nearly 40% of Oregon's greenhouse gas pollution. That means, in order to reach our climate goals, we’re all going to have to both drive less and use less fossil fuels when we do drive. The good news is, this is becoming easier and more affordable every day. If you buy or lease a new or used ...

EVs Are Not Just for Urban Commuters

The transition from gas to electric vehicles is now well underway. From electric cars, trucks, and busses, to e-bikes, e-scooters, and personal wheeled devices of all kinds, there are more and more electric options for getting around town. This transition is exciting to see because it’s essential to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and battling climate change.  But what if “town” isn’t where you’re trying to get around? There are more electric vehicle (EV) models introduced all the time, but many people still have questions about whether an EV makes sense for the everyday needs of Oregon’s rural and agricultural communities which ...

E-Bike Events this Fall with OEC

At OEC, we believe that a high-quality transportation system is one that offers people healthy and safe choices to meet their transportation needs. Electric bicycles and other kinds of small electric mobility devices, like scooters and skateboards, are potentially transformative because they can meet many of the same needs as a car, but with fewer costs, and a lot less pollution. In order to really take advantage of their potential, we need to make sure that our leaders understand the benefits so they can help us realize the potential of e-bikes. To this end, OEC’s Legislative Director Morgan Gratz-Weiser and I (Transportation Program ...

Road-trips, Representatives and Adventures in Eastern Oregon

Summer is road-trip time, and recently, OEC staff Karen Lewotsky (Water Policy and Rural Partnerships Director) and Morgan Gratz-Weiser (Legislative Director) headed southeast across Oregon to Crane, with stops along the way in Tumalo and Prineville. Why Crane? The gathering in Crane was organized by leading legislators and partner organizations Verde, Willamette Partnership and others, to celebrate recent state investment in water and water infrastructure. The celebration kicked off with a virtual Zoom event the preceding week, and culminated with a tour of Harney basin groundwater resources, on-farm water use-efficiency practices and a BBQ ...

Buying a car? Go electric!

Are you considering buying a car? This is a great time to consider your electric options! Before we even get started, though, we have to ask you a tough question. Depending on where you live, do you really need a car? At Oregon Environmental Council we know that we won’t reach our climate and equity goals if we don’t reduce the number of cars on the road or how many miles they are driving, so we will always encourage you to take the time to think about whether you can meet at least some of your transportation needs without a car. (Hint: electric bikes can make a terrific car substitute!) If you really need a car, read on! Why buy (or ...

EV Tourism Expands to Oregon Wine Country

Do you love wine tasting? Do you care about sustainability? Then you’ll want to raise a glass to this -- the Plug & Pinot EV Tourism Program. Born out of the realization that a number of Oregon wine country businesses already had electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, but no network to connect them, the program was created to show that Oregon’s Wine Country is accessible for EV drivers, and a great way to experience it. Extending from Gaston to Dundee, from Dayton to Salem, and all the way to the town of Elkton, several of the program’s members were among the first wineries to plant vines in the Willamette Valley over 40 years ...

Bend Sports Shop Goes Electric

We love ourselves a good clean energy story - especially local ones that show how making the switch can save money and make lives better! Here's a great example from Pine Mountain Sports in Bend, Oregon. They recently purchased an electric car as their new shop vehicle, making skiing trips to Mt. Bachelor more affordable, and taking their commitment to environmental stewardship to a whole new level. Check out the reasons they went electric, and why this is an easy switch you can make too: "In August of 2016, Pine Mountain Sports bought a 100% electric car as our new shop vehicle. It’s not a Tesla. It’s a Nissan Leaf. It goes 80 miles on an ...