DRIVE Electric Arizona is proud to announce the launch of its newest chapter: DRIVE Electric Tucson. Leading the chapter is long-time EV advocate Robert Bowers, who resides in Vail, Arizona. The chapter will serve the Pima County region.
Robert brings a wealth of hands-on experience to his new role. Prior to relocating to Arizona, he volunteered with Drive Electric Colorado in Colorado Springs, where he helped organize and manage successful Drive Electric Earth Month and National Drive Electric Month events. He has also road-tripped roughly 40,000 all-electric miles across the country, including ~24k in a Chevrolet Bolt and ~15k in his current EV, a Hyundai Ioniq 6, making him both a knowledgeable and passionate voice for EV adoption.
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Tucson is accelerating its embrace of electric vehicles through a combination of strong city regulations, expanding infrastructure, and local incentives. Since December 2022, new commercial, multi-family, office, and single-family homes are required to include EV‑charging infrastructure or conduit under the city’s EV readiness ordinance, with multiple projects already incorporating chargers and further enhancements planned based on stakeholder feedback (City of Tucson).
Tucson Electric Power supports this shift with rebates — up to $500 on residential Level‑2 chargers and $4,000–$20,500 for commercial and fast‑charging installations — while also encouraging pre-wiring in new homes (Qmerit).
Regionally, Arizona is forecast to boost EV adoption to 6–14% of its passenger vehicles by 2030, as public fast‑charging infrastructure expands under the NEVI program ($76M+ for 69 fast‑charging sites statewide, many along Tucson-area corridors) (azdot.gov).
Combined with state-wide utility support and federal funding, Tucson is well-positioned as a growing hub for EV adoption and clean-transportation infrastructure.