EVs are Good for Our Wallets
Right now, communities and businesses are feeling the pinch as gas and diesel prices skyrocket due to the Iran War and its impact on the international fossil fuel marketplace.
What isn’t subject to that same kind of price volatility? Electricity!
Switching to an electric vehicle (EV) allows drivers to transition to a much more stable, healthy, and affordable fuel source. Right now in Washington state, drivers can save nearly $3,200 on fuel and maintenance per year by switching to an EV.
Along with fuel and maintenance savings, a new analysis from RMI shows that, as more EVs come to market and more used EVs are available, going electric is becoming the more affordable option when purchasing a vehicle.
Their reporting shows that used EVs are the same price or cheaper than their gas-powered equivalents, with some models costing about 10 percent less on average. As more lease returns enter the market, over 1 million EVs are projected to enter the used market over the next three years, making it easier for more households to access reliable, low-cost transportation.
When we talk about affordability, we have to talk about transportation. EVs aren’t just cleaner. They are a practical way to lower everyday costs.
WA Invests $16.8M of CCA Funding Into Tribal-Led Clean Energy Projects
Here’s some great local news: The Washington State Department of Commerce recently announced $16.8 million in clean energy grants supporting 22 projects across 17 tribal communities in Washington.
Supported by the Climate Commitment Act, the awards include solar and battery projects, electric boats, and feasibility studies to assess the solar potential, technical requirements, and financial viability of solar and battery energy storage systems.
These investments are part of Washington’s effort to support tribal energy sovereignty, a key component of the state’s 2021 State Energy Strategy and climate laws including the Climate Commitment Act and the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act.
Together, these investments fund tribally determined clean energy priorities while strengthening resilience and advancing clean energy deployment in tribal communities across Washington.
Register Today for Study Mission 6.0: Building Bigger & Faster in Texas
From May 11-15, 2026, Clean & Prosperous will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, and clean energy advocates in Austin and Houston to explore how the nation’s clean energy growth leader is getting projects built.
Texas is rapidly scaling solar, wind, and battery storage, and attracting major investment in emerging decarbonization technologies. Meanwhile, as highlighted in our Build Sustainable High Impact Infrastructure Together report, Washington ranks dead last in the country for clean energy growth.
Study Mission 6.0 will feature exciting, informative engagements, including:
- How to plan for and bring utility-scale renewable projects online with Austin Energy, Texas’s greenest utility that is currently working to bring a geothermal plant online in East Texas.
- Learning about the real-world impacts of electrifying your fleet with CapMetro, Austin’s transit provider, including a tour of their on-site 12-acre solar array and overhead bus charging infrastructure.
- Touring UT Austin’s Hydrogen ProtoHub, including their newly-finished solar array, enabling green hydrogen production on-site.
- Building the clean energy workforce with Goodwill Houston as we tour their hands-on workforce development lab supporting heat pump, EV charging station, and solar and storage installation.
You can find the agenda here – more is still to come!
Here are the details:
- When: Monday, May 11 – Friday, May 15, 2026
- Where: Austin and Houston, Texas
- Tickets: $3,950 per ticket.
Tickets include lodging, meals, and activities in Texas. Delegation members will be responsible for their own travel into and out of Texas. You can get your tickets and find recommended flight information here.
Thank you to our sponsors for making Study Mission 6.0: Building Bigger & Faster in Texas possible!
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Follow Clean & Prosperous on social media to learn about our work to accelerate clean energy and power prosperity for communities across Washington. You can find us on these channels:
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