‘EV Road Trips’ Highlight Improved Infrastructure

Energy delivery company National Grid unveiled its new EV Road Trip campaign, an effort to raise awareness around the location of charging infrastructure and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the company announced.

As summer arrives and 7 in 10 Americans hit the road, National Grid is offering an online guide to tourist spots in the Northeast and ways to see them sustainably and conveniently in an EV.

“With so many of our customers planning to travel this summer, we are encouraging both safety and sustainability,” said Badar Khan, US President of National Grid. “Traveling by electric vehicle is one way to explore the Northeast while emitting less carbon. The Road Trip is designed to demonstrate the availability of charging infrastructure so that we can reduce range anxiety and encourage more people to drive electric.”

The EV Road Trip comes in the wake of a new report from the International Energy Agency noting that, while the technology to achieve reductions in emissions exists, it has not been deployed fast enough. This issue is most apparent in transportation, the nation’s largest source of emissions. Despite advocacy from the Biden Administration and the introduction of more EV models, research shows consumers remain concerned over inadequate charging infrastructure.

With travel set to rise 60% over the next few weeks as vaccines reduce COVID-19 infection rates, the EV Road Trip seeks to assure travelers that sustainability and summer traditions can go hand-in-hand, the company said. The EV Road Trip encompasses more than 40 cultural, natural and historical sites offering families an easy and safe summer escape without using a drop of gas. Those stops include:

• Massachusetts – The Berkshires, Boston Common, Salem Witch Trials Memorial and Cape Cod beaches
• New York – Niagara Falls, Lake George, Schenectady, Albany and the Catskills
• Rhode Island – Roger Williams Park Zoo, The Breakers and Narragansett Beach

The EV Road Trip is one of many initiatives National Grid has implemented to address transportation emissions, the company said, and recently joined the Electric Highway Coalition, which will further enable access to charging stations near highways across the United States.