City of Bend developing Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan, holding public meeting

The city of Bend is inviting the community to learn more about the Bend Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan under development at a public meeting Thursday and can provide input to inform the plan online through March 11.

To increase electric vehicle use in Bend, the city is developing the Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan. It will establish goals, timelines and strategies to enable a broad transition to electric vehicles across the community. This transition will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the City achieve its climate action goals. It is a key strategy in the Community Climate Action Plan and the Bend Transportation System Plan.

This plan will include a focus on ensuring that access to electric vehicle charging is equitably distributed across the community, and that the benefits of electrified transportation are shared by everyone, including underserved populations.

The City hired a consultant to conduct research, analyze data and engage stakeholders to inform the plan’s recommendations. The City is incorporating feedback from key stakeholders and Council advisory committees, and also welcomes input from the public. To provide input, the community is invited to participate through this online feedback form (http://tinyurl.com/BendEVSurvey). The feedback opportunity is open until March 11.

Those interested in learning more about the project can tune in when it will be introduced to the Environment and Climate Committee at its meeting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, February 10. Committee meetings provide an opportunity for public comment and instructions about how to join the meeting are on the agenda.