The Interagency Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council (EV Council) was established in 2022 to enable state agencies to collaborate on accelerating electric vehicle adoption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. The EV Council consists of members drawn from 10 state agencies who play a central role in the statewide effort to transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Agency members coordinate on policy development, program implementation, and funding opportunities so that all Washington residents can enjoy the benefits of EVs.
The EV Council is a unique collaboration of a permanent group of designated staff people from the following ten Washington state agencies:
- Department of Commerce (Co-Chair)
- Department of Transportation (Co-Chair)
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Ecology
- Department of Enterprise Services
- Department of Health
- Office of Financial Management
- Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
- State Efficiency and Environmental Performance Office
- Utilities and Transportation Commission
Planning, measuring and reporting success
The Transportation Electrification Strategy (TES), which was delivered to the Legislature in early 2024, guides the EV Council. The TES was developed to ensure that the state’s vehicle market and transportation infrastructure can support the transition to all new passenger vehicle sales being electric by 2035. Read the strategy or view the interactive TES dashboard.
Annual work plan
The EV Council’s annual work plan directs efforts to implement the TES, and the council measures its progress against TES benchmarks and statutory targets regularly. Related documents:
The EV Council holds regular public meetings to discuss policy development efforts, review clean transportation funding and program information, and track outcomes. The public is welcome to attend virtually and submit comments/questions at the EV Council meetings held via Zoom.
The next meeting takes place on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, from 2-4 p.m. Please register for the meeting on Zoom. A link to watch the meeting live on TVW will be posted here when it is available.
Meeting resources
One of the EV Council’s key priorities is to identify and coordinate on funding opportunities that will help people and businesses transition to EVs.
Are you looking for funding for an EV charger for your business? Or are you looking to take advantage of incentives to buy an EV for your family? See the most recent funding opportunities or view all opportunities at FundHubWA.
News and updates
Additional resources
The EV Council is governed by RCW 43.392. Recommendations from the EV Council focus on increasing access to electric vehicles, ensuring reliable EV charging infrastructure across the state, and promoting available market incentives to benefit all Washingtonians. The objectives of the EV Council include:
- Develop a statewide transportation electrification strategy: The EV Council, along with its advisory committee, consultants, and supporting staff collaborated to create a comprehensive scoping plan to help Washington achieve its goal of having all passenger and light-duty vehicles sold in the state be electric by model year 2035. That plan, called the Transportation Electrification Strategy (TES), was submitted to the Legislature in February 2024. Access the strategy.
- Identify and coordinate all state and federal electric vehicle-related funding: The EV Council works to ensure the benefits of using electric vehicles are accessible to everyone in the state. For current funding opportunities, please see the “Funding Opportunities” section above.
- Ensure the benefits from transportation electrification flow to vulnerable and overburdened communities. The TES, grant fund distribution, programs, and associated activities should be accessible to all Washingtonians.
- Measure outcomes and collect and publicize data to track progress on policy and program implementation. The EV Council will provide updates on performance measurements at its regular meetings; its annual report to the Legislature will provide a comprehensive look at progress made throughout each year.
The EV Council carries out its work through a set of industry advisory committees that assist in developing specific EV policies. Committee reports are provided at EV Council meetings to aid in developing recommendations for programs and policies.
More details can be found in the following:
These efforts support the state’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
One of the EV Council’s first responsibilities was directing the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to submit the state’s NEVI plan to the Federal Highway Administration for approval. NEVI is a federal program created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will fund electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles along major highway corridors. Washington’s plan has been approved, and Washington will receive more than $70 million in the next five years.
Visit WSDOT’s NEVI webpage for more information.