How Utilities Can Drive Plugging In

Utilities Should Invest in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

Daniel Gatti, July 5, 2018 (Union of Concerned Scientists)

“…Across the country, many utilities are stepping up to build the EV infrastructure that we need…The California Public Utilities Commission recently approved $738 million in electric vehicle infrastructure proposed by PG&E, SCE and SDG&E, including hundreds of millions for charging heavy duty vehicles such as buses and trucks…Utilities in Maryland have recently proposed a $104 million investment in charging infrastructure that would create 24,000 charging stations across the state…The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities recently approved a $45 million investment by Eversource. A comparable investment by Massachusetts’ other major utility National Grid is still pending in front of the DPU…Ohio has recently approved a $10 million pilot for electric vehicle charging stations…

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…[Utilities should invest in electric vehicle infrastructure because EVs represent] an enormous opportunity…Converting our vehicle fleet to electricity could add as much as 1,000 terawatt hours of demand onto our electric grid, an increase of about 25 percent of current levels. If managed correctly, this large and flexible load could significantly increase the efficiency of our electric system, which would benefit not only EV drivers but also all ratepayers, providing lower costs…In the long run, widespread deployment of EVs could also be a source of energy storage, filling a critical need as our electricity system moves away from fossil fuels toward intermittent sources of power, such as wind and solar…Building more EV infrastructure will help more people and businesses make the switch…Creating an EV charging network that can compete with our oil infrastructure will require tens of thousands of new charging stations…” click here for more

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