Drive and Live Cleaner: Power Your EV and Home with 100% Renewable, Clean Energy
In April 2011, Green Mountain Energy Company took a bold step toward a cleaner transportation future. The company launched a new product designed specifically for electric vehicle (EV) owners: Pollution Free™ EV—a renewable electricity plan that powers both your EV and your home with 100% wind energy.
EV Clean Energy: A Smarter Way to Drive
As EV adoption began to rise, so did the need for clean charging options. While electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions, their environmental impact still depends on the source of the electricity used to charge them.
Green Mountain’s Pollution Free™ EV plan tackled that concern head-on. It gave EV drivers a convenient way to ensure that every mile they drive is backed by clean, renewable wind power. At the same time, the plan covered the customer’s entire home electricity use, maximizing environmental benefits without requiring a rooftop solar system or expensive home upgrades.
Tailored for EV Owners
The plan launched first in Texas—a state with one of the nation’s largest deregulated electricity markets. Texas also happened to be an early hub for EV adoption and a major producer of wind power, making it the ideal testbed for a green electricity product aimed at EV drivers.
Customers who enrolled in Pollution Free™ EV received:
- 100% wind-powered electricity for their home and EV
- The ability to track environmental impact via online tools
- A fixed-rate plan with predictable monthly costs
Green Mountain Energy also made signing up easy, offering enrollment directly through their website.
Clean Energy With Real Impact
Choosing a renewable electricity plan can make a measurable difference. According to Green Mountain’s estimates, a customer driving 12,000 miles annually and using about 500 kWh per month at home could prevent more than 14,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions each year—the equivalent of planting over 800 trees.
For EV owners who cared about sustainability, it was a natural fit: not only did they ditch the gas pump, but they also ensured that the electrons powering their commutes came from the wind, not from coal or natural gas.
Leading the Charge on Clean Living
Founded in 1997, Green Mountain Energy was already known as a pioneer in renewable energy. By 2011, the company had helped more than 400,000 customers reduce their carbon footprints. The launch of Pollution Free™ EV reaffirmed its mission to connect cleaner choices to everyday life—and drive momentum in the electric vehicle space.
“We believe our customers want to match their electric vehicle with an electricity source that’s just as clean,” said Helen Brauner, senior VP of Strategic Planning at Green Mountain. “This plan makes it easy for them to do just that.”
Conclusion
As the EV market accelerated in the early 2010s, Pollution Free™ EV offered drivers a meaningful way to align their home and vehicle energy use with their environmental values. It wasn’t just about driving electric—it was about powering electric with purpose.
Sources:
- Green Mountain Energy Company
- U.S. Department of Energy – Benefits of Electric Vehicles
- NRDC – Why Renewable Energy Matters for EVs
