City of Tucson and local car enthusiast recognized for their achievements

2020 Drive Electric Arizona Awards Honor Electric Vehicle Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2020

Contacts:
Noah Barnes, Plug In America, nbarnes@pluginamerica.org | 323-333-8010
Caryn Potter, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, cpotter@swenergy.org | 602-312-1345

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[PHOENIX, AZ] – On Friday, one individual and one city were honored for their work to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the state. The awards were presented at the second annual Arizona Transportation Electrification Forum, which convened more than 200 key players in Arizona’s growing EV marketplace, including city managers, fleet operators, utilities, and policymakers.

“Despite a difficult year with many challenges, groups in Arizona are pressing ahead with transportation electrification,” said Joel Levin, Executive Director of Plug In America. “Arizona is now home to two EV manufacturing plants that have brought good jobs and economic growth to the state. More electric vehicles mean cleaner air for everyone and less money spent on fuel and car maintenance. I salute our 2020 awardees for their outstanding contributions in support of more electric vehicles on our roads and can’t wait to see what they will do in 2021.”

The 2020 Drive Electric Arizona Awards honored leaders in two categories:

  • The 2020 EV City Award was presented to the City of Tucson for adopting EV-ready building codes for residential buildings, purchasing zero-emission buses, and declaring a climate emergency that will accelerate the city’s work to rapidly decarbonize the transportation sector.
  • The 2020 EV Champion Award was presented to Jim Stack for his two decades of work advocating for EVs and educating consumers about their benefits. As President of the Phoenix Electric Auto Association, Mr. Stack has organized dozens of educational events for National Drive Electric Week and Earth Day. He has also faithfully represented the voice of EV drivers before the state legislature and the Arizona Corporation Commission.

The 2020 Drive Electric Arizona Awards were selected by a committee of organizations working to advance transportation electrification in Arizona and were presented by Plug In America, the Energy Policy Innovation Council at Arizona State University, and the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project. For more information, visit azteforum.com/awards.

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About the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project is a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. For more information, visit swenergy.org.

About Plug In America
Plug In America is the nation’s leading independent consumer voice for accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. Formed as a nonprofit in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information collected from a coalition of plug-in vehicle drivers, through public outreach and education, policy work, and a range of technical advisory services. For more information, visit: pluginamerica.org.