Reed to Visit Flagship Trailways in Cranston & Discuss EV Future
As First Clean & Green All Electric Over-The-Road Motorcoach Debuts in RI, Reed Seeks to Strengthen Grid Readiness to Meet Increasing EV Demand
CRANSTON, RI – With gasoline prices hovering around historic highs and greenhouse gas emissions returning to unsustainably ominous pre-pandemic levels, one Cranston motorcoach company, Flagship Bus, is charging ahead and rolling out Rhode Island’s first electric motorcoach to be used in the state for tour and charter services.
On Thursday, June 2 at 11 a.m., U.S. Senator Jack Reed will join with Flagship Bus executives and workers to discuss electrifying the future of the motorcoach industry and federal efforts to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption with forward-looking policies and infrastructure to support businesses that invest in EV technology.
The Van Hool CX45E motorcoach is a zero-emission vehicle that is purpose-built to support a carbon-free future without compromising rideability, passenger comfort, or performance. This quiet, smooth-driving bus can carry 56 passengers 275-plus miles between charges with zero emissions.
“The American people are charging ahead toward a cleaner energy future as more consumers are choosing electric vehicles (EVs) and more manufacturers and states are beginning to leave old internal combustions engine behind. The new generation of cleaner, greener rechargeable cars, trucks, and buses will reduce pollution at home while protecting Americans from foreign oil price shocks. I’m pleased to see Rhode Island companies leading the way. To ensure a smooth transition to the scaled up use of electric vehicles, the federal government must invest wisely in charging infrastructure now and have a smart road map to ensure the nation’s energy grid is prepared and America can meet its electric mobility goals,” said Senator Reed, the author of The Electric Vehicle Grid Readiness, Improvement, and Development (EV GRID) Act (S.4148).
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law championed by Democrats in Congress and signed into law by President Biden delivered $15 billion in federal investments to help states and communities achieve full scale EV adoption. These new policies, along with state initiatives, will result in more affordable EVs for consumers, a robust charging infrastructure network, and more advanced battery technology manufactured here in the United States.
Reed’s EV GRID Act will ensure America’s electrical grid is prepared for the influx of electric vehicle chargers we will need to combat climate change, achieve energy independence, and revitalize our manufacturing sector.
Under Reed’s bill, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) would release a study identifying geographic areas in which greater investment in the electric system would be necessary to ensure chargers could be prevalent and connected to the grid by assessing electrical generation, transmission, and distribution capacity needs. DOE would then develop a plan to bolster our electricity system at the scale necessary to meet the anticipated increase in demand–and provide Congress with recommendations on what actions we must take to meet this moment legislatively.
“Preparing our grid for the EV transition by passing the EV GRID Act is a vital step on the path to achieve a clean energy economy so that we can pass on a livable planet for our children, lower energy costs for Americans, and create thousands of good-paying, union jobs,” said Reed. “The surge in EVs is already happening and the U.S. government must ensure our power grid can fuel all those EVs coming down the pike. Passing the EV GRID Act will help accelerate that progress.”
