Tampa Bay Named One of America’s Electric Car Capitals

By Victoria Parsons

Stopping traffic: pedestrians stop to look at electric vehicles demonstrated at the kick-off event for Project Get Ready Tampa Bay.







Project Get Ready Tampa Bay kicked off at Tropicana Field in June with business and civic leaders as well as a showcase of the plug-in electric hybrid cars and trucks including the Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius and Ford Escape.



Under the hood: electric vehicles use smooth-running motors that last longer and are easier to maintain than traditional internal combustion engines.

When national media take notice of the transportation infrastructure in Tampa Bay, it’s almost never positive attention. That changed in June when Forbes named the region one of “America’s Electric Car Capitals.”

Like chickens and eggs, electric vehicles need recharge stations to be feasible – but the recharge station owners need enough electric vehicles on the road to earn a return on their investment. To make that happen in Tampa Bay, a collaboration led by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the Rocky Mountain Institute and local energy companies has formed Project Get Ready Tampa Bay.

“Tampa Bay is among leaders in the country such as Houston, Kansas City, Raleigh and Indianapolis that are debunking the myth that plug-in electric vehicles will be ushered in only by densely populated cities or on the West Coast,” said Matt Mattila, Project Get Ready manager for Rocky Mountain Institute, an international not-for-profit organization that helps businesses and communities become sustainable.

“Tampa Bay is an important piece of this national program because of its large population, moderate density and mass transportation potential,” adds Avera Wynne, planning director of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. “This project can build the framework for a large-scale roll-out of plug-in electric vehicles in the coming years.”

Along with reducing dependence upon foreign oil, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality, electric vehicles could play an important role in protecting Tampa Bay. About 50% of nitrogen – the single most important pollutant in the bay – literally falls from the sky after being emitted from industrial smokestacks or automotive tailpipes. Vehicle emissions make up about 1/4 of that nitrogen contribution, or greater than 200 tons of nitrogen per year.

Electric vehicles have about two third the emissions as an internal combustion engine and cost about one third to run, Wynne said. More than 70% of electric vehicles are expected to be charged during off-peak hours, minimizing the impact on local utilities.

For more information, visit www.getreadytampabay.org.