WHO WILL CHARGE ELECTRIC CARS?

Discord Over Regulation of Car Charging
Todd Woody, October 12, 2009 (NY Times)

"With electric cars set to hit the mass market next year, a skirmish is breaking out in California over who will control the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure.

"The California Public Utilities Commission will write the rules of the electric road and is just starting to grapple with the complex regulatory issues surrounding the integration of battery-powered cars into the state’s electrical grid."

Coulomb Technoligies is a leading charging station maker - but will it sell electricity, too? (click to enlarge)

"One of the biggest questions is whether to regulate Better Place, Coulomb Technologies and other companies that plan to sell electricity to drivers through a network of battery-charging stations…California’s three big investor-owned utilities have split over the issue.

"…Pacific Gas & Electric [says the PUC should regulate providers to avoid adverse impacts on the safety and reliability of the electric grid]…Southern California Edison…[wants the PUC] to move cautiously, calibrating any regulation to the specific business models…San Diego Gas & Electric said the commission did not have the right to regulate companies like Better Place."

Much BetterPlace charging will be REcharging of their own batteries. Do they pay wholesale or retail? From BetterPlace via YouTube

"Not surprisingly, Better Place…echoed that view, arguing that a heavy regulatory hand could stifle innovation and scare off investors…[while a] coalition of environmental groups that includes the Natural Resources Defense Council and Friends of the Earth wrote that the commission had authority over companies like Better Pace but should [stifling emerging technologies]…

"The utilities commission does not regulate municipal-owned utilities, which will set their own rules for private electric car-charging networks…One of California’s biggest public utilities, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, has asserted…[exclusive jurisdiction over third-party electric vehicle service providers like Better Place]…Better Place and other electric car start-ups will also have to do battle with long-entrenched consumer advocacy groups…The Utility Reform Network, for instance, has pushed the commission to go slow, allowing only the installation of 110-volt charging stations, rather than higher-voltage equipment that would charge electric car batteries much more quickly."