Public News Service summarized potential effects of electric vehicle investment in Virginia, citing AEE's market report and comments from Ryan Gallentine. Read snippets below and the full article here. Read coverage on this story from Augusta Free Press here. 

As negotiations in Congress continue on a federal infrastructure package, a report out today predicts the American Jobs Plan's proposed $274 billion investment to support electric vehicles would boost the nation's economy and create millions of jobs.

The report said funding new charging infrastructure, manufacturing and workforce training would yield a $1.3 trillion return in private investment and almost 11 million jobs. Ryan Gallentine, policy director for electrifying transportation at Advanced Energy Economy, which put out the report, said Virginia would gain more than 93,000 jobs

"The big takeaway here is that, for each dollar of public investment, it generates $2.60 of direct private investment," he said. "That's a good deal for consumers, it's a good deal for the U.S. economy, and it's something that should have bipartisan support through Congress."

He noted that the move to electric also would add more than $200 billion in tax revenue to federal, state and local governments. However, opponents to electric-vehicle switch have cited expensive upfront costs and concerns that battery range is limited.

... Gallentine added that a move to more electric transportation would significantly reduce air pollution, a serious problem especially in Northern Virginia.

"Trucks and other high-pollutant vehicles going on regular delivery routes through neighborhoods that have historically been the places where these highways go through," he said, "there's some real health benefits there, to keep folks from suffering from asthma at a higher rate."

Read the full article here.