The City of Seattle is working hard to ensure that our community is "plug-in ready" when significant numbers of electric cars hit our region in fall 2010. With the help of millions in federal stimulus dollars, the City is part of a collaboration--including Puget Sound local governments, businesses, nonprofits, and electric vehicle enthusiasts--to create a robust regional charging infrastructure for the electric vehicles.

Promoting electric vehicles an important part of the City’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases from cars and trucks on Seattle’s roads, which make up 40% of our citywide footprint and are the single largest source of emissions. To reduce our transportation footprint, the City is pursuing a two-part strategy. The first part focuses on increasing investment in transportation choices so that residents and businesses can walk, bike, or take transit. The second part focuses on improving vehicle efficiency so that the remaining cars and trucks on Seattle roads have a smaller greenhouse gas impact.

Plug-in electric vehicles are an exciting step forward in efficiency, especially here in Seattle where the vehicles will be powered by the clean energy of Seattle City Light. In fact, if the average Seattleite switched to an electric car, it would eliminate more than four tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

Read the FAQ or visit some of the other pages below.

Getting Seattle Plug-In Ready
Seattle is one of the first cities in the country preparing for the arrival of electric vehicles. Find out more about the City’s project to make sure Seattle is “plug-in ready.”

Electric Vehicles in Seattle
Electric vehicles are coming to Seattle in significant numbers as early as next year. Find out more about electric vehicles and when they will be available in our area.

Electric Transportation
There are other opportunities for electric transportation besides vehicles. Find out more about the City’s efforts to electrify all aspects of our transportation system, including buses, light rail, and streetcars.