Advanced Energy Perspectives

Our electric transportation future is on the way – that much is not in doubt. Electric vehicles may currently account for just a small share of vehicle sales, but a high – and accelerating – growth rate is putting EVs on the agendas of public utility commissions (PUCs) around the country. To address the coming electrification of the vehicle fleet – from passenger cars to delivery vehicles, buses, and trucks – state regulators should take steps to maximize the benefits and minimize the challenges associated with this transportation transformation – seven steps, to be specific.

The usually sleepy month of August saw a flurry of activity around the build-out of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Duke Energy entered into a settlement agreement that, if approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, would result in the creation of an $8 million EV charging program. A settlement was also reached in an AEP rate case that, if approved by the Public Utility Commission of Ohio, will authorize a $10 million investment in charging infrastructure. Then there was Oregon, where separate settlement agreements were filed by PacifiCorp and Portland General that would include over $2 million (in PacifiCorp’s case) and just under $2 million (in Portland General’s case) to fund charging infrastructure. With models proliferating and costs coming down, is the charging station cavalry needed to keep these non-gas-powered vehicles moving finally on the way? An energy and mobility conference being held next week in Detroit may provide answers.

On Nov. 5, we submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency AEE’s comments on the Clean Power Plan. As we testified in the Agency’s hearing in July, AEE supports the Clean Power Plan, because we see it as a vital step toward modernizing the U.S. electric power system for greater efficiency, reliability, and economic opportunity. Compliance with the Clean Power Plan may be complicated, but with all the technologies available and all the flexibility allowed for individual states to develop plans that make sense for them, EPA’s state targets for reduced greenhouse gas emissions will be easy to achieve. In our comments, what we told EPA is this: Advanced energy can contribute much more to emission reduction than the draft of the Clean Power Plan contemplates, and provide economic benefits at the same time.