PGE continues to lead the charge on electric transportation with new plan

Portland, Ore. – Today Portland General Electric announced plans to advance Oregon’s transition to a clean energy future with new investments in electric transportation for car owners and mass transit riders.

This announcement follows the approval of PGE’s Transportation Electrification Plan  by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. This plan is part of the company’s commitment to expand access to clean energy options for its customers and advance the state’s goals toward a decarbonized energy system.

“An electrified transportation system is critical to a carbon-free economy, and the approval of our plan is a big step in that direction,” said Bill Nicholson, PGE senior vice president, customer service, transmission and distribution. “This plan is going to significantly increase accessibility, affordability and reliability of a charging infrastructure – further enabling our customers to choose electricity as their transportation fuel.”

PGE’s Transportation Electrification Plan is a transformative strategy that outlines the path toward decarbonizing the electric transportation system. Specifically, the plan includes:

• Partnership with TriMet to enable Oregon’s first all-electric bus route: PGE will install and manage six bus charging stations, creating an infrastructure to support an entirely electric bus route in Beaverton. The partnership also enables TriMet to purchase an additional electric bus.

• Electric Avenue charging stations expanding to six locations: The charging stations will be strategically located across PGE’s service area so, like a gas station, drivers have reliable access to efficient charging options.

• Three-year outreach and technical assistance to support customers interested in transitioning to electric vehicles: Outreach will include technical assistance to builders, commercial and industrial customers, and hosting ride-and-drive events to expose more Oregonians to the opportunities to adopt an electrified mode of travel.

“Our innovative partnership with PGE allows us to not only test clean-running electric buses, but thanks to their support, we are able to expand this test fleet from four to five buses,” said TriMet’s Interim General Manager Shelley Devine. “TriMet and PGE are helping to lay the groundwork for a future greener fleet in the greater Portland area.”

Approval of PGE’s plan follows Gov. Kate Brown’s executive order issued in November 2017 establishing a goal of 50,000 registered electric vehicles in Oregon by 2020.

“I’m pleased to see this plan was approved,” said Jeff Allen, executive director, Forth . “As more utility investment deploys more charging infrastructure, more drivers adopt electric vehicles. More vehicles on the road also create greater utilization of charging infrastructure, which in turn improves the economics of infrastructure deployment.”

PGE will provide regular updates on each project and additional information about its commitment to leading Oregon toward an electric transportation future on our website at PortlandGeneral.com/PlugIn.