EV Everywhere is the umbrella effort of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to increase the adoption and use of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs). EV Everywhere was launched as one of a series of Clean Energy Grand Challenges that set ambitious, far-reaching, national goals that will help the U.S. become more energy secure and environmentally sustainable. Announced by President Obama in March 2012, the goal of the initiative is to enable plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) that are as affordable and convenient for the American family as gasoline-powered vehicles by 2022.
EV Everywhere combines research and development, outreach and education, and partnership-building. These activities will:
- Improve the competitive position of U.S. industry and create jobs through American innovation
- Enhance energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil
- Save money by cutting fuel costs for American families and businesses
- Protect our health and safety by mitigating the impact of energy production and use on climate change.
Accomplishing these outcomes requires partnership among the private sector, the Federal government, states and communities, national laboratories, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and individual consumers. Some of these partnerships include:
- the U.S. DRIVE light-duty research and development partnership
- the EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge
- the Memorandum of Understanding with Edison Electric Institute
- the Clean Cities network of local coalitions
In addition to collaborating with outside stakeholders, DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) is working closely within the DOE, with the Office of Science, Office of Electricity, and ARPA-e. Research and development focuses on development of advanced batteries, electric drive systems, and lightweight materials.
The broad steps DOE and industry need to take to meet these goals are described in the EV Everywhere Blueprint, which also included aggressive, technology-specific, "stretch goals" established in consultation with stakeholders. Achieving these goals can enable the purchase cost combined with the operating cost of an all-electric vehicle with a 280-mile range to be comparable to that of an internal combustion engine vehicle of similar size after five years of ownership.
DOE developed the EV Everywhere Blueprint using feedback from a series of workshops across the country and a public Request for Information. The workshops, held in the summer and fall of 2012, brought together experts from industry, academia, state and local government, and other stakeholder organizations.
Following up on the Blueprint, "The EV Everywhere Grand Challenge: Road to Success" report captured the progress the Department and industry made from January 2013 to 2014, during which the Department invested $225 million to address key barriers to widespread adoption of PEVs. In that period of time, research and development substantially lowered the volume production cost of batteries and more than 50 employers joined the Workplace Charging Challenge.