This Midwest Energy News article notes how the Illinois Commerce Commission is exploring how to prepare for the growth and impact of electric vehicles in the coming years. The article draws heavily from AEE’s recently released issue brief, EVs 101 — A Regulatory Plan for America’s Electric Transportation Future. Read our full issue brief here. Link to full Midwest Energy News article here. 

Excerpts Below:

What will electric vehicles mean for grid resiliency and energy efficiency in Illinois?

The Illinois Commerce Commission issued a notice of inquiry Monday seeking stakeholder input on that question, aiming to build on policy sessions it held last week and in April. The process is intended to broaden the range of input from the public and private entities that participated in those sessions…

Last year, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) made up more than 1 percent of the U.S. light-duty vehicle market for the first time ever, according to a brief released Sept. 20 by the national business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE),which collaborated with the Illinois Commerce Commission on the sessions about electrification of transportation…

The (AEE) brief suggests how utilities and regulators can facilitate increasing adoption and integration of PEVs (that rely on being plugged into the grid, as opposed to hybrid vehicles that run on electricity generated by the car)…

AEE urges utilities to allow third parties to own EV charging stations and sell the electricity, without invoking prohibitions on non-utility entities selling electricity (or “sale for resale” prohibitions). It also urges utilities to themselves own and/or operate charging stations, and it encourages public-private partnerships in the operation and financing of charging infrastructure

The group asks regulators and utilities to help develop a robust competitive market in EV charging while also making sure that underserved or remote areas — which may not offer a strong market for sellers — are adequately served. And the brief calls on utilities and regulators to more generally make sure low-income customers benefit from increased electrification, including by making sure that electric price changes related to EVs don’t harm them…

During the panels convened by the Illinois Commerce Commission, the stakeholders discussed the seemingly inevitably increasing role of automated vehicles and ride-sharing in our transportation system. The brief cites experts predicting that by 2040, four-fifths of vehicles used in car-sharing will be PEVs, given their lower costs of operation and maintenance. It also notes that since such vehicles use electronic platforms to connect to the internet and coordinate logistics, electric power is a natural fit…

See the complete Midwest Energy News story here.