Transportation Electrification in Vancouver
Cutting emissions from cars, trucks, and buses
On-road vehicles are Vancouver’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global climate change.
To change that, we envision a future where neighborhoods throughout Vancouver are walk- and rollable, public transit options are abundant, and zero-emissions vehicles are affordable, common, and easy to charge or fuel. Our efforts on transportation electrification today will pave the path for that future.
Project Overview
The City is working to help more people, nonprofits, and businesses take advantage of the benefits of electric mobility (e.g. electric buses, electric delivery trucks, e-scooters, EV carsharing, etc.) and prioritize where “transportation electrification” investments should go to create the greatest community benefit.
Shifting to cleaner electric motors can create direct community benefits, including:
- Cleaner air and quieter neighborhoods,
- Lower costs to fill up and maintain vehicles for small businesses and nonprofits that depend on cars or trucks to get their work done,
- Access to more options for getting around,
- New opportunities to train in green jobs, and
- Reduced local and global emissions causing climate change.
What is Transportation Electrification?
“Transportation electrification” describes efforts to replace fossil fuels (gasoline and diesel) in cars and trucks with cleaner electricity while expanding community options for getting around. Shifting from gasoline and diesel to lower-carbon fuels, like electricity, is one of the most impactful and immediate actions we can take toward our climate goals. But transportation electrification is about much more than just personal vehicles. When co-designed with community members, transportation electrification programs can help achieve a wide range of community priorities.
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy Development
To guide this work, staff are developing an Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Strategy with community input in 2025. One of the top barriers to electric vehicle adoption is the availability of charging, and Vancouver needs a critical mass of charging infrastructure to encourage more businesses and households to make the switch. This strategy will outline priorities for where and how EV chargers should be developed in Vancouver and actions for the City to help accelerate EV adoption in multiple sectors.
This work is funded by a WA Department of Commerce Climate Planning Grant, which is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health.
Public engagement for this strategy took place in spring and summer of 2025. Check out the materials we shared with City Council in June, 2025 to learn more.
Vancouver’s Public EV Charging Pilot Program
The City of Vancouver is kicking off a public charging pilot program to install level 2 and level 3 EV charging stations at Marshall-Leupke Center and at Firstenburg Community Center. Vancouver’s Public EV Charging Pilot Program is a project of Washington Department of Ecology Charge Where You Are Program, Clark Public Utility District, and Washington Electric Vehicle Charging Program and is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
The City will also install Public EV charging on Main Street as part of the Main Street Promise project in Downtown Vancouver.
Contact
For questions about the City’s transportation electrification efforts, contact:
- Laurel Priest, Transportation Planning, laurel.priest@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7941
- Stacey Dalgaard, Climate Program, stacey.dalgaard@cityofvancouver.us or 360-947-6503
Learn more about the City’s Climate Action Framework.