Who We Are

  •  GRCF was spearheaded in 2009 by Orange County government with core stakeholder participation from the Orlando Utilities Commission, Progress Energy & the City of Orlando.
  •  Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), enabling Orlando to become the first “Project Get Ready city in Florida.  This allowed GRCF to connect with other EV Ready Cities in North America, share ideas and overcome obstacles.
  • Signed MOU with Nissan, to make Orlando the 1st launch city in Florida for the electric LEAF.
  • Seized the opportunity to become a “ChargePoint America” city.  Through the efforts of GRCF, Orlando became one of nine cities nationwide to receive Department of Energy funding to install public charging stations.  Currently over 300 EVSE have been installed, within a 70 mile radius of downtown Orlando – one of the largest infrastructure projects in the nation.
  • Economic Development improvements – a strong EV infrastructure in Central Florida, created a launch market for several EV’s:  Nissan (LEAF), Ford (Focus EV & C-Max), Fisker (Karma) et al.  Without the infrastructure, these companies would never have released these vehicles in Central Florida.  Additionally, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) companies such as Coulomb, Eaton and others, have been attracted to this market & are now selling chargers here.
  • Streamline the Permitting Process – GRCF met with the Building Officials of Florida (BOAF) and municipal electrical inspectors to educate them on the installation process for EVSE.  This alleviated misconceptions and expedited the permitting process from weeks to about two days.
  • Launched an interactive website:  www.PlugAndGoNow.com, which acted as an informational clearinghouse for EV projects and events.  It includes an interactive map of all EVSE locations.
  • Economical Benefits – Many area business, such as Frito Lay, who operate ten all-electric delivery trucks in Orlando (part of their over 2000 North American EV fleet), are reporting fuel savings (>700,000 gallons diesel / yr.) and low maintenance (no tune-ups, oil changes etc.).  Electricity is domestically produced, reducing our dependence on foreign oil imports.
  • Environmental Benefits – EV’s emit 75% fewer Greenhouse Gases than traditional vehicles & extended range EV’s achieve mileage of over 45 mpg – resulting in less carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, organic vapors & particulate matter, released into the air.  Solar charging stations, as well as solar farms operated by power plants, are used to further reduce emissions.
  • Education & Outreach – GRCF hosts EV workshops annually for various audiences (business / government fleets etc…) and uses fleet EVs for demonstration purposes.  We have over 400 stakeholders and recently became the electric transportation arm of the Central Florida Clean Cities coalition.  In order to gauge outreach success, we monitor EV sales figures throughout Central Florida.  From Dec 2010 – Dec 2012 Florida’s EV sales have increased incrementally.