Drive Electric Minnesota
The environmental costs of our oil dependence are out of control — from the accidents and spills, to smog, to climate change. Drive Electric Minnesota is a partnership of local and state governments, Xcel Energy, private businesses and non-profit group excited about the benefits electric vehicles.
The cost of our oil addiction
American families are paying more than ever for our addiction to oil. With rising global demand and instability in the Middle East pushing oil prices ever higher, oil dependence takes an enormous bite out of our paychecks and our economy. But the prices that we pay with our wallets are only a fraction of the true costs of our addiction to oil.
We pay for it with our lungs, every time we breathe in toxic chemicals released from burning oil.
We also pay for our oil with our beaches, coasts and oceans. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster dumped 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and contaminated thousands of miles of coastline. And in 2011, an Exxon Mobil pipeline spilled and dumped 42,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River, which runs through the National Park.
It doesn't have to be this way. And in 2011, Environment Minnesota made encouraging inroads in our effort to break our oil addiction.
Drive Electric Minnesota coalition leads the way
Our coalition is working to analyze the barriers to the implementation of plug-in electric vehicles and infrastructure and working together to develop steps to reduce or eliminate the identified barriers. In addition we are working to improve and speed-up the permitting and inspection processes for charging stations, as well as looking at grid impact working to connect renewable energy usage with electric vehicle incentives.
What you can do: Ten Tips to Get Off Oil
Electric cars are the future, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can do right now to get Minnesota off oil. Small changes can also add up to a big difference.
Click here for our Top 10 Tips to use less oil and shrink your carbon footprint.
Tell President Obama you support historic clean car standards.
Key facts
- From public policy to education, funding to implementation, Drive Electric Minnesota initiatives are attacking barriers to wide-spread use of electric cars from all sides of the problem.
- We have set a goal of 15,000 electric vehicles on the road, and 150 public charging stations in Minnesota by 2015
- According to the Environment Minnesota “Getting Off Oil” report, if electric cars compose just 22% of new light duty vehicles sold by 2030 we will have reduced oil consumption in Minnesota by 301 million gallons.