Pittsburgh to Become More Electric Vehicle-Friendly with Charging Station Expansion - The Green Voice

Level 2 chargers take 6-8 hours to deliver a full charge,  while DC fast chargers are able to charge a vehicle to 80% full within  20-30 minutes.

At the time, the city had a fleet of 26 electric  sedans used by the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections and  other departments. The city claimed that the fleet saved 8,812 gallons  of gasoline and 72.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

The plan aims  to expand to over 200 new public charging plugs and increase the total  number of public charging plugs to over 2,000 across the City by 2025. A  press release describes the goal as ensuring "every household is within  a 10-minute walk of a public Level 2 charger or a 10-minute drive of a  DC fast charger."

The chargers are part of the city’s Climate  Action Plan goals to reduce transportation-related emissions, increase  vehicle electrification, and convert to a 100% fossil-fuel free fleet.

Pittsburgh  city government is not the only sector becoming more friendly to EV  technology. Over the past year, the Port Authority of Allegheny County  has added an increasing number of electric buses to its fleet, many of them being touted as zero-emission.

In 2019, local utility company Duquesne Light partnered with the Pittsburgh Parking Authority to open 16 electric vehicle charging stations in two Downtown Pittsburgh garages. In April 2021, the company committed to expanding its EV fleet, including  adopting plug-in sedans and pickup trucks, forklifts, and bucket  trucks. Duquesne Light also added a program allowing its employees to  charge their personal vehicles at any of the company’s charging  stations.

                                           

                                        

The City of Pittsburgh has taken another major step towards lowering transportation-produced carbon emissions with a new plan.

In late April, the Department of City Planning published its Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Strategic Plan for Pittsburgh Public Facilities.  The plan lays out a framework to leverage Pittsburgh Parking Authority  lots and garages and other facilities to expand EV-charging access  citywide.

A press release says the plan "and outlines goals for  expanding public EV charging access through 2025, which will help the  City meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from  transportation by 50% by 2030."

The plan was created in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Parking Authority and the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge, an  initiative launched in 2018 to provide resources and support to 25 U.S.  mayors trying to lower their cities' carbon emissions. The Climate  Challenge aims to reduce emissions by 40 million metric tons –  equivalent to taking 8.5 million cars off the road - by focusing on  clean buildings and transportation.

“Pittsburgh’s Public Facility  EV Charging Strategic Plan is a great example of how cities across the  country are paving the way for EV adoption and accelerating the  transition to low-carbon transportation,” says Kelly Shultz, lead for  sustainable cities and America Is All In at Bloomberg Philanthropies, in  a press release. “The Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate  Challenge empowers local leaders to take bold and equitable climate  action that improves lives for communities. We’re thrilled that  Pittsburgh continues to drive us toward that goal.”

The report  defines EVs as battery-electric vehicles powered entirely by  electricity, such as a Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt, or plug-in hybrid  electric vehicles, such as a Chevy Volt or Prius Prime, that have both a  conventional engine and electric motor that can be powered either by  gas or electricity through a rechargeable battery.

The  announcement marks the latest step in expanding electric vehicle  infrastructure in Pittsburgh. Currently, the city has 35 existing public  EV charging plugs, mostly serving Downtown and Oakland.