The State of Washington has launched a new initiative to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles in public and private fleets. The Washington State Electric Fleets Initiative aims to ensure at least 20% of all new state passenger vehicle purchases are electric vehicles by 2017.

Governor Jay Inslee announced the new plan while attending the Paris Climate Conference this week as a step toward meeting the state’s goal of putting 50,000 EVs on the road by 2020.

The state’s current vehicle procurement contract expires on Jan. 1, 2017, allowing it to solicit new proposals from EV manufacturers in early 2016. The initiative includes a plan to convene a team to draft a new state master contract, invite other states to participate, issue a competitive solicitation, and award one or more contracts with a guaranteed minimum purchase commitment.

The plan targets fleets because they can often use centralized charging, have predictable routes, and focus on lifetime vehicle costs.

The state provides a fact sheet about the initiative here.