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City of Houston’s Office of Sustainability seeking input on strategy to make electric vehicles more accessible

HOUSTON – City of Houston’s Office of Sustainability, in coordination with EVolve Houston, today issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a community-wide strategy for publicly-accessible electric vehicle support equipment and City-owned fleets. The RFI is one of the first implementation efforts of the City’s recently-released Climate Action Plan, which identifies vehicle electrification as a key strategy for Houstonians to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve regional air quality, and build climate resilience.
 
“Even in these challenging times, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “As outlined in the Climate Action Plan, vehicle electrification can help clean our air and improve our climate resilience. We are looking for partners with innovative solutions to help make electric vehicles more available and affordable for all Houstonians.”
 
The RFI will gather information on public-private business models for owning, operating, and managing publicly accessible electric vehicle support equipment at City-owned and operated facilities located throughout the community and its own private fleet. The RFI will also seek information on equitable distribution of infrastructure, infrastructure optimization and utilization rates, infrastructure resilience, and revenue sharing opportunities. The findings from the RFI will be used to inform the scope and requirements for the City’s future electric vehicle infrastructure deployment. 
 
“EVolve is excited to assist The City in their effort to support current and future EV adoption,” said Chris George, Executive Director of EVolve Houston. “Houston continues to lead by example and will benefit greatly from taking immediate steps to address air quality and growing EV adoption following the launch of the Climate Action Plan.”
 
Visit https://purchasing.houstontx.gov/Bid_Display.aspx?id=I03320 to view the full RFI. Responses must be submitted by Friday, August 7, 2020 at 4:00 P.M. Central Standard Time.
 
About the Office of Sustainability
The City of Houston’s Office of Sustainability is responsible for implementing Mayor Turner’s commitment to reduce Houston’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The office manages the City’s internal sustainability and energy efficiency programs and, on April 22, 2020, released the Houston Climate Action Plan, a science-based, community-driven strategy for the City of Houston to reduce community-wide ghg emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead a global energy transition. Visit www.greenhoustontx.gov for more information.
 
About EVolve Houston
EVolve Houston is a coalition of sustainability-minded civic, business, and academic leaders who seek to accelerate clean transportation through electrification. Collaborating with government, academic, private industry, and community leaders, our goal is to improve regional air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Greater Houston area. In addition to overseeing and tracking the implementation of the actions set forth in the Electric Vehicle Roadmap, EVolve Houston works alongside civic, industry, and academic institutions to advance electric vehicle awareness, availability, and affordability.  Visit www.evolvehouston.org for more information.