An $8 million National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) project plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in Appalachia.
The project, Rural Reimagined, Building an EV Ecosystem for Appalachia, is a partnership between NETL, the West Virginia Clean Cities Program, the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium of WVU Energy Institute, and Tennessee Technological University.
The project convened a team of 60 groups from five states to demonstrate electric vehicles in rural, Appalachian counties and to facilitate local workforce development training. Their efforts include more than 25 electric vehicles and more than 250 electric vehicle chargers.
The partners recently launched an electric Ford E-Transit Van for the Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority (FMCTA) in West Virginia.
“As the first public transit authority in West Virginia to add an electric transit van to its fleet, FMCTA will provide valuable real-world application data about electric vehicle performance and benefits in rural settings, including operational and maintenance costs,” NETL’s Trev Hall, who manages the project, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The ceremony included a vehicle demonstration and a ride-along attended by state and city officials.
NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory focused on innovation and technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable future.