The American Lung Association of Arizona, Arizona State University (ASU), The City of Mesa, The City of Phoenix, The City of Tempe, Greenlots, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), Salt River Project (SRP) and Western Resource Advocates (WRA) have announced the Transportation Electrification Activator (TE Activator), a cross-industry initiative to advance electric transportation in Arizona.
The TE Activator member cities and organizations will work together to execute shared objectives and projects that directly support and advance progress toward their individual transportation electrification (TE) goals. To be a member, a publicly stated goal related to TE is required and all founding members have either set or are in the process of setting such a goal. Together, the participants envision a region with clean air, accessible electric transportation options, and robust electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.
“No individual organization can accomplish this outcome alone,” said Kelly Barr, SRP’s chief of strategy, corporate cervices, and sustainability executive. “The concept for the TE Activator was envisioned by a community advisory group that reviewed SRP’s 2035 sustainability goals and identified a need for more cross-industry collaboration to achieve improved EV adoption in our state.”
The organizations and cities involved have substantial interest in reducing carbon emissions and improving the well-being of Arizonans. Strategies of the group include empowering Arizona’s citizens to take an active role in the transition to EVs, prioritizing high-use vehicles, deploying critical EV charging infrastructure, and ensuring the benefits are equitably shared across all communities.
“As Phoenix works towards the ambitious transportation electrification goals and targets outlined in our 2021 Climate Action Plan, we understand how important it will be to work closely with cities, utilities and other partners to ensure we can achieve these goals together," said Mayor Kate Gallego. "By accessing the excellent network the TE Activator has created, we can collaborate to reduce the number of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles on the road, which is the fastest way to achieve this profound level of change."
The group has begun to leverage their unique experiences to identify where they have common objectives or challenges that can be addressed more efficiently by working together. They have also identified opportunities to build on peer experiences, share resources, and facilitate enhanced ideation.
Ensuring the TE Activator’s overarching goals are realized will require close collaboration and open communication between members. The group’s focus on action through collaborative projects will help them reach EV and TE related objectives faster and more efficiently, with the ability to create transformative results. To learn more about the TE Activator, click here.
