The Pacific Coast Collaborative is committed to supporting and promoting innovation and the adoption of new personal and mass transportation technologies such as hydrogen and fuel cell-powered vehicles, electric vehicles, renewable bio-fuels, and the regional infrastructure to support them.

To accelerate adoption of new transportation technologies and stimulate private infrastructure investment, the Pacific coastal jurisdictions are working to establish a "green highway", intermittent alternative energy fuelling stations that will support electric and alternative fuel-powered vehicles along the Interstate 5/Highway 99 corridor leading from Southern California to Whistler, British Columbia through a variety of individual and joint agreements and initiatives.

Regional Best Practices:

·          Washington, Oregon and California were among six states selected to participate in “The EV Project”, a $230 million US Department of Energy (DoE) project to spur electric vehicle ownership and infrastructure. Nissan North America and General Motors/Chevrolet are partners in The EV Project and will launch a total of 8,300 electric vehicles to select markets.

·          Construction is underway on the West Coast Electric Highway, an extensive multi-state network of public electric vehicle DC fast charging stations. With Recovery Act funding from the US Departments of Energy and Transportation, the network will span the 585 miles from Canada to California along Interstate 5 with DC fast charging available every 40 to 60 miles.

·          British Columbia launched the Clean Energy Vehicle Program that includes point-of-sale rebates for natural gas vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, rebates for residential electric vehicle charging stations, and investments in charging infrastructure and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. 

·          The Hydrogen Highway network in British Columbia includes six active hydrogen fueling stations. The Province invested over $1 million in hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, including the North Vancouver Liquefaction Project that will produce local, clean hydrogen for use in transportation applications along the Pacific Coast.

·          The California Energy Commission awarded over $17.4 million in grants to deploy about 4,500 Level 1 and 2 plug-in electric vehicle charge points, 49 fast chargers and up to 600 upgrades to existing legacy chargers.  This deployment of residential, commercial, workplace, fleet and corridor chargers will be concentrated in the San Diego (with the EV Project), Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento regions, including placement of fast charging stations on inter-regional highway corridors.  In addition, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is installing 2,750 residential Level 2 chargers and an additional 50 fast charge stations in the nine-county Bay Area region. 

·          Pacific Coast states created forums for electric vehicle policy and infrastructure deployment planning. In California, the Energy Commission is working closely with the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative as they assist with development of Department of Energy regional plans. The Western Washington Clean Cities Coalition and the Washington State Plug-In Electric Vehicle Task Force developed a Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan for the State of Washington to inform policy makers, state and local governments, utilities, fleets, private sector businesses, and individual consumers about the clear and actionable roadmap for the widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. The Transportation Electrification Executive Council in Oregon developed a strategic plan for personal electric vehicles and serves as the steering committee for a Department of Energy planning grant to guide future policy, action, and public outreach.