HARTFORD, CONN. (December 9, 2020) — Connecticut Green Bank (“Green Bank”) and its partners are proud to announce a unique collaboration that is the first joinable, grouped carbon offset credit project registered under the new methodology for electric vehicle (EV) charging systems. The project design has been successfully validated under Verra’s internationally recognized Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program by third-party verification firm, SCS Global Services.

CT Green Bank’s expanding roster of project partners, which currently includes EV pioneers Volta, U-Go Stations which was recently acquired by Blink Charging, Proterra, and the Ev Structure Company – with Dominion Energy joining – already have 725 EV charging stations across the United States enrolled with the project. With registered carbon credits, this validated project, once verified in mid-2021, is expected to bring in new funding from the carbon capital markets, which will increase the value proposition and accelerate the deployment of EV charging infrastructure in communities across the U.S.

“This is a partnership between innovators who are each working to secure a safer and healthier future for the communities they serve by addressing a key challenge in mitigating climate change – deploying charging infrastructure for electric vehicles,” said Bert Hunter, CT Green Bank Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer. “We’re proud to debut this project as a scalable climate finance solution that – like the Green Bank itself – sources investment capital from private markets.”

These partners span sectors from electricity-powered transit buses to public destination charging stations and infrastructure, providing reliability for EV drivers.

• Volta designs, builds and operates extensive networks of free charging, located in the most convenient, most utilized, high traffic locations.
• Blink Charging (Nasdaq: BLNK) is a leading owner and operator of EV charging solutions. Blink recently acquired U-Go Stations who pioneered early high-speed EV charger deployments.
• Proterra is a leading U.S. manufacturer of electric buses and technology provider for commercial electric vehicles.
• EvStructure was among the earliest integrated services companies to install EV charging, and most recently introduced the first charging network to the largest Harley-Davison outlet in Utah.

Additional sites will be added over time throughout the project, and diverse new partners are already seeking to join the project to secure access to the carbon capital markets for their EV charging systems and take advantage of the Green Bank’s unique value proposition as a way for projects to scale up over time and reduce transaction costs.

Jeff Allen of Forth, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating e-mobility, said, “We congratulate the Connecticut Green Bank and its partners and look forward to working with them to help other businesses and organizations take advantage of this innovative financing strategy.”

“In addition to reducing our own emissions, Dominion Energy is committed to helping accelerate greenhouse gas reductions in other industries like transportation,” said Mark Webb, Chief Innovation Officer, Dominion Energy. “As we continue to invest in the electrification of transportation through programs like workplace charging, our electric school bus program, a greener fleet, and other EV incentives, this partnership will allow us to take concrete steps to quantify those carbon reductions.”

In this first example of an EV charger carbon offset credit multi-partner project, Green Bank partners may enroll their selected EV chargers to create carbon credits from their EV charger datasets, which opens private carbon capital as a new source of investment for EV charging. The result is a performance-based system where EV chargers earn funds based upon the amount of electricity dispensed to vehicles, factoring in the carbon intensity of the electricity used.

The Green Bank was among a coalition of companies collectively awarded an Innovative Partnership Certificate for methodology development at the 2019 Climate Leadership Conference, hosted by C2ES and The Carbon Registry. “We welcome this innovative new partnership and the first-of-its-kind electric vehicle carbon emissions offset program,” says Bob Perciasepe, President of C2ES. “Expanding charging infrastructure and incentivizing increased uptake of electric vehicles is essential for decarbonizing our economy by 2050. We look forward to seeing new private capital through this program and hope this partnership will inspire others to join the collaborative project in the future.”

Quotes from Partners:

“EV charging should be a natural experience, not a chore. Volta’s free charging network goes where people work, shop, and play. This breakthrough with voluntary carbon credits adds even more value to the equation, which in turn supports the availability and deployment of free charging. We look forward to working with Connecticut Green Bank.” – Dr. Abdellah Cherkaoui, Senior VP of Government, Automotive & Utilities, Volta

“Transitioning to zero-emission transportation means cleaner air and healthier communities. As fleet operators embrace electric vehicles and reduce their carbon emissions, it’s also an opportunity to create even more financial value. By offering carbon credits for the voluntary purchase market, we look forward to working with the Green Bank to enhance the value proposition for our customers.” – Gareth Joyce, President, Proterra Powered and Energy

“Blink has been a pioneer among national charging networks. With our recent acquisition of U-Go Stations, we are pleased to continue U-Go’s partnership for its charging stations with the Green Bank, and examine the expansion opportunities this opens up for the rest of our network.” – Brendan Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Blink Charging

“Being in the business means knowing how to spot opportunities, and this innovative project is a game-changer. As a company’s that’s been among the earliest in EV charging in the US, EvStructure is proud to call itself a founding partner. We look forward to finding new ways to integrate this into our core business, and potentially into others’ businesses.” – Todd Ritter, President, EvStructure

“Congratulations to Connecticut Green Bank and its partners on achieving the first-ever grouped project validation in the EV arena. They have demonstrated a reduction of CO₂ emissions compared to the baseline case of fueling and driving gasoline-powered vehicles under the new VM0038, Methodology for Electric Vehicle Charging Systems v1.0, and we celebrate their innovation of collaborating as a grouped project.” – Dr. Letty B. Brown, program manager of GHG verification, SCS Global Services