I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1685 
To establish programs to accelerate, provide incentives for, and examine 
the challenges and opportunities associated with the deployment of elec-
tric drive vehicles, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 3, 2011 
Mrs. BIGGERT (for herself, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MCNERNEY, and Ms. ESHOO) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Ways and 
Means, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish programs to accelerate, provide incentives for, 
and examine the challenges and opportunities associated 
with the deployment of electric drive vehicles, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electric Drive Vehicle 
Deployment Act of 2011’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
(2) DEPLOYMENT COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘de-
ployment community’’ means an area selected by the 
Secretary under the program established under sec-
tion 3(a). Such term may include 1 or more munici-
palities, transportation corridors that connect mu-
nicipalities, or other geographic areas that the Sec-
retary determines appropriate. 
(3) ELECTRIC
DRIVE
VEHICLE.—The term 
‘‘electric drive vehicle’’ means a vehicle that— 
(A)(i) is— 
(I) a light-duty vehicle (as that term 
is defined in section 86.1803–01 of title 
40, Code of Federal Regulations, as in ef-
fect as of the date of enactment of this 
Act) that draws motive power from a bat-
tery with a capacity of at least 4 kilowatt- 
hours; 
(II) a heavy-duty vehicle (as that term 
is defined in section 86.1803–01 of title 
40, Code of Federal Regulations, as in ef-
fect as of the date of enactment of this 
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Act) with a gross vehicle weight rating 
greater than 8,500 pounds and less than 
14,000 pounds that draws motive power 
from a battery with a capacity of at least 
10 kilowatt-hours; 
(III) a heavy-duty vehicle (as that 
term is defined in section 86.1803–01 of 
title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, as in 
effect as of the date of enactment of this 
Act) with a gross vehicle weight rating 
greater than 14,000 pounds but less than 
33,000 pounds that draws motive power 
from a battery with a capacity of at least 
15 kilowatt-hours; or 
(IV) a heavy-duty vehicle (as that 
term is defined in section 86.1803–01 of 
title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, as in 
effect as of the date of enactment of this 
Act) with a gross vehicle weight rating 
greater than 33,000 pounds that draws 
motive power from a battery with a capac-
ity of at least 20 kilowatt-hours; and 
(ii) can be recharged from an external 
source of electricity for motive power; or 
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(B) is a motor vehicle (as that term is de-
fined in section 216 of the Clean Air Act (42 
U.S.C. 7550)) that draws its motive power from 
a fuel cell (as defined in section 803 of the 
Spark M. Matsunaga Hydrogen Act of 2005 
(42 U.S.C. 16152)). 
(4) ELECTRIC
UTILITY.—The term ‘‘electric 
utility’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
3(4) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 
1978 (16 U.S.C. 2602(3)). 
(5) GROSS
VEHICLE
WEIGHT
RATING.—The 
term ‘‘gross vehicle weight rating’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 216(7) of the Clean Air 
Act (42 U.S.C. 7550(7)). 
(6) MUNICIPALITY.—The term ‘‘municipality’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 302(f) 
of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7602(f)). 
(7) QUALIFIED ELECTRIC DRIVE VEHICLE COM-
PONENTS.—The term ‘‘qualified electric drive vehicle 
components’’ means components the Secretary deter-
mines are uniquely needed to produce electric drive 
vehicles. 
(8) QUALIFIED ELECTRIC DRIVE VEHICLE IN-
FRASTRUCTURE.—The term ‘‘qualified electric drive 
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vehicle infrastructure’’ means equipment and serv-
ices that— 
(A) support the electric refueling needs of 
electric drive vehicles and may be located in 
public or private locations, including street 
parking, parking garages, parking lots, homes, 
gas stations, and highway rest stops; and 
(B) serve smart grid functions, as defined 
in section 1306(d) the Energy Independence 
and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17386), 
that will optimize the integration of electric 
drive vehicles into the electric grid. 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
SEC. 3. TARGETED ELECTRIC DRIVE VEHICLES DEPLOY-
MENT COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a competitive program to provide financial 
assistance to be used as described under subsection 
(d), consistent with the goals under subsection (b), 
for purposes of deploying electric drive vehicles in 
deployment communities. 
(2) PHASE 1.—The Secretary shall, not later 
than 12 months after the date of enactment of this 
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Act, based upon applications for financial assistance 
received pursuant to subsection (c), select 10 deploy-
ment communities for the first phase of the program 
established under paragraph (1). 
(b) GOALS.—The goals of the program established 
under subsection (a)(1) shall be— 
(1) to facilitate the rapid near-term deployment 
of electric drive vehicles in deployment communities; 
(2) to demonstrate the viability of a vehicle- 
based transportation system that reduces depend-
ence on petroleum-based fuel and contributes to re-
ducing emissions of carbon dioxide; 
(3) to facilitate the integration of advanced ve-
hicle technologies into deployment communities while 
optimizing electric grid system performance and reli-
ability; 
(4) to demonstrate the potential— 
(A) benefits of coordinated investments in 
vehicle electrification and infrastructure on per-
sonal mobility; and 
(B) reduction of emissions of greenhouse 
gases and criteria air pollutants from vehicle 
electrification and infrastructure; 
(5) to demonstrate protocols and standards that 
facilitate vehicle integration into the electric grid, in-
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cluding demonstration of the use of qualified electric 
drive vehicle infrastructure; 
(6) to increase understanding of the primary re-
gional differences and varying regulatory environ-
ments that impact electric drive vehicle market pene-
tration and establish best practices for addressing 
deployment barriers to electric drive vehicles; and 
(7) to increase understanding of consumers’ ve-
hicle charging and other electric drive vehicle infra-
structure needs and establish best practices to meet 
such needs. 
(c) APPLICATIONS.—Any State, Indian tribe, or local 
government (or group of State, Indian tribe, or local gov-
ernments) may apply to the Secretary for financial assist-
ance to be used as described in subsection (d) in deploy-
ment communities. Such applications may be jointly spon-
sored by electric utilities, automobile manufacturers, tech-
nology providers, car sharing companies or organizations, 
third-party electric drive vehicle service providers, or other 
persons or entities. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Pursuant to applications re-
ceived under subsection (c), the Secretary may make fi-
nancial assistance under the program established under 
subsection (a) available to any applicant or joint sponsor 
of the application to be used for any of the following: 
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(1) Assisting persons located in the deployment 
community, consistent with subsections (g) and (h). 
(2) Supporting the use of electric drive vehicles 
by funding projects for any of the following: 
(A) Planning and deployment of qualified 
electric drive vehicle infrastructure. 
(B) Updating building codes, inspections 
related to the installation of electric drive vehi-
cle charging infrastructure, and updating zon-
ing for such infrastructure. 
(C) Converting government fleets to elec-
tric drive vehicles. 
(e) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary, in 
consultation with the Administrator and the Secretary of 
Transportation, shall, not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, determine the requirements 
for the program established under subsection (a), includ-
ing the following: 
(1) Criteria for evaluating applications sub-
mitted under subsection (c), consistent with sub-
section (f), including the anticipated ability of appli-
cants to promote deployment and market penetra-
tion of electric drive vehicles. 
(2) Data regarding deployment communities, 
and the electric drive vehicles and qualified electric 
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drive vehicle infrastructure in such deployment com-
munities, required for collection, analysis, and eval-
uation of the challenges and opportunities associated 
with the widespread deployment of electric drive ve-
hicles. 
(3) Metrics of success for deployment commu-
nities. 
(4) Reporting requirements for entities that re-
ceive financial assistance under this section, includ-
ing a comprehensive set of performance data charac-
terizing the results of the program in the deploy-
ment community. 
(f) CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING APPLICATIONS.—The 
Secretary shall require that applications under subsection 
(c) include the following: 
(1) A plan to promote, market, and support the 
deployment of electric drive vehicles in a deployment 
community, through the deployment of consumer ve-
hicles, and, as appropriate, private or public fleets. 
(2) The role of each stakeholder participating 
in the deployment of electric drive vehicles in the de-
ployment community, and an indication of how the 
financial assistance applied for will be used in the 
deployment community. 
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(3) The number of electric drive vehicles pro-
jected to be deployed in the deployment community 
during the first phase of the program established 
under subsection (a). 
(4) A strategy for developing program partici-
pation among residents of the deployment commu-
nity and a plan that demonstrates high likelihood 
that the deployment community will procure and de-
ploy the projected number of electric drive vehicles. 
(5) A deployment and financing plan for pub-
licly available electric drive vehicle charging infra-
structure that includes a policy on cost sharing, 
methodology for determining the number and place-
ment of such infrastructure, and ensures use of 
open, nonproprietary standards that maximize inter-
operability with Smart Grid technologies. 
(6) Verification that building codes within the 
proposed deployment community appropriately ac-
commodate electric drive vehicle charging infrastruc-
ture for new construction and major upgrades or 
evidence of a clear plan to update such codes before 
or during the period of financial assistance. 
(7) Verification that zoning, parking rules, or 
other local ordinances have been updated or will be 
updated as necessary to facilitate the installation of 
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