BEND, OR -- Pacific Power recently awarded more than $2 million in Electric Mobility grants to 18 organizations. A local climate action coalition plans to use its allocation to create an equitable EV charging and car share plan for Central Oregon. Once developed, it will be the first of its kind in the state. 

350 Deschutes Executive Director Diane Hodiak says, "We know that they have car share programs that are highly successful in other areas outside of Oregon. It’s a question of ‘how do we make it available to underserved communities?’ How do we make it available so they can pay and so it’s also affordable?"

Hodiak notes it will primarily target underserved communities, many of whom don’t own a car and can’t afford to live in Bend, but need to commute in for work, "So, if they have a car they can use - maybe two to three times a week - that is affordable, that includes their insurance and includes everything that they need, that would be very beneficial to them. And we know that we can create a program like that, we just have to figure out how to do it." She tells KBND News her coalition will work with urban and rural leaders to involve Black, Tribal and Hispanic communities.

It’ll likely take about a year to develop. Then cities can use the plan to leverage federal funding to roll out a program, "Nearly every city that we talk to wants to be involved in this," says Hodiak, "And we just feel that by working together, we can use those dollars that are coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act most wisely."

Click HERE to register for 350 Deschutes' EV Planning Group. Representatives from the business, government and nonprofit community are encouraged to attend and learn how to access funding for EV infrastructure.