Seattle's 'Electrification Blueprint' Sets Ambitious Goals

With its new Clean Transportation Electrification Blueprint, Seattle is embarking on an ambitious plan to electrify its transportation system and decrease congestion by boosting its EV charging network, encouraging more walking, biking, and transit ridership, and restricting private cars in parts of the city. But "these aspirations hinge on politically aligned values at all levels of government and cooperation with companies that have been hostile to regulations from the city," writes Michelle Baruchman in the Seattle Times.

Building on "Seattle's Green New Deal, which seeks to eliminate the city’s climate pollution by 2030, address environmental inequities and create thousands of green, unionized jobs," the plan requires "aggressive" efforts and collaboration across sectors. According to the plan, by 2030, "all ride-hailing trips would be electric and emissions free; almost one-third of deliveries would be made with vehicles that don’t emit carbon; a 'major area' of Seattle would be restricted to most cars; and charging stations would be reliable and readily available throughout the city."

The plan, which also includes congestion pricing for downtown Seattle, joins other efforts in Washington to reduce carbon emissions and improve public transit. "Washington State Ferries plans to convert its Wenatchee vessel from running solely on diesel fuel to using hybrid/electric power later this year," and "King County Metro has pledged to make its 1,500-bus fleet carbon free by 2040."