Advanced Energy Perspectives

If you’re to believe the headlines, you’d be under the impression that consumer demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is slowing. Cratering even. But in reality, EV sales have never been higher. Literally. The Q3 2023 numbers are in, and September was the biggest month for EV sales in the U.S. ever. And this isn’t a blip. The industry is up around 50% year-over-year, and it is estimated (with final projections still pending) that, for the first time ever, Americans purchased 1 million EVs during the 2023 calendar year, surpassing 11% of new car sales.

According to local legend, in New York, it’s still illegal to put an ice cream cone in one’s back pocket while in public on Sundays. As the story goes, this law was enacted to prevent thieves from subtly luring a horse away from its rightful owner before the dawn of the motor vehicle. Though silly, this example is indicative of a larger trend: old laws from the 19th and 20th centuries often remain on the books because it’s more of a hassle to repeal them than to simply stop enforcing them. This can happen as social norms change, or as new technologies eclipse old ones.  

Last month, the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) held its annual Energy Policy Summit in Washington, DC. Bringing together leaders across the energy industry, AABE members and other attendees took on the challenge of discussing an ‘Expedient & Equitable Implementation’ of the most recent federal policies aimed at the national energy transition.  

Five amendments to a three-year plan is a lot, but that’s what Nevada energy utility NV Energy has proposed to its 2021 Integrated Resource Plan. An IRP is the process through which the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) ensures the utility has the resources it needs to reliably and affordably serve Nevada electric customers. NV Energy’s 5th amendment to its current IRP would allow the utility to get major projects approved under a shortened, simplified process that doesn’t get the scrutiny an IRP should otherwise have.

State governments across the country are increasingly turning to electric vehicles (EVs) as a way to reduce air emissions, and save taxpayers millions of dollars in the cost of fueling, maintaining and operating state-owned motor vehicles. EVs also allow state fleets to switch from imported fossil fuels to homegrown sources of renewable power, offering a path to bolstering local economies and energy security.