Communities will soon be able to take full advantage of energy-efficient electric vehicles with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt available now, and almost every major car manufacturer planning to launch at least one EV model within the next year. Experts said that adoption of these and other EVs is expected to ramp up gradually in Florida over the next few years.

The EV Summit brought together community leaders, representatives from leading automakers, such as Nissan, Ford and General Motors, and industry experts to begin preparing for the vehicles’ arrival and their effect on local communities. This includes charging, EVs; permitting and inspections of charging stations; providing affordable, reliable and clean electric service; charging at multi-family dwellings, fleet conversions and more.

Brian Hanrahan, FPL’s director of In-Home Technologies and Electric Vehicles, said: ‘Planning for long-term energy growth is part of our core business and the introduction of electric vehicles is something we take into consideration. We continue to evaluate the best approach to meet the emerging needs of this technology by studying the market and actively engaging with automotive manufacturers, local governments and other agencies.’

Conference participants discussed the role communities will play and the challenges that go with new technologies, including streamlining permitting and inspection processes for home charging, accommodating multi-unit dwellings, and converting business fleets for increased efficiencies.

Christine Heshmati, Coordinator for the Gold Coast Clean Cities Coalition, added ‘Electric vehicles are one of the key alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles that will help improve air quality in the State, and we are particularly pleased to assist our communities in Southeast Florida to prepare for these new technological advances. Through public-private partnerships, we find that we are able to accomplish the Coalition’s mission to reduce our dependence on imported oil and improve the environment. Educational events like this EV Summit are just one example of how effective these partnerships are.’