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Dive brief:
- More than 50 utilities, mostly investor-owned power companies, have come together to install fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) along major U.S. highway corridors by the end of 2023, the National Electric Highway Coalition (NEHC) announced on Tuesday.
- The coalition is led by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which has upped its previous estimates and now predicts that there will be 22 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2030, requiring more than 100,000 fast chargers.
- NEHC Group’s efforts to address range anxiety could potentially have a “big impact” on charging infrastructure and adoption, said Tomer Borenstein, co-founder and chief technology officer of the company. BlastPoint software. A recent report from the predictive analytics company, however, warns that some parts of the country are unprepared for the transition.
Dive overview:
The last time EEI estimated the number of electric vehicles on the road in 2030, the investor-owned utilities trade group proposed 18.7 million. That was 2018, and since then the estimates “have increased a bit,” said Kellen Schefter, EEI’s director of electric transportation and customer solutions.
According to electrification experts, the 17.6% increase in the number of expected electric vehicles underscores the need for rapid deployment of charging infrastructure, especially in areas that may lag behind. Further information on EEI’s electric vehicle sales forecast and charging infrastructure estimates will be included in a document expected next year.
“What we’re hoping to accomplish here is really bringing together utilities across the country to think beyond their service territories, how they’re filling the gaps needed to support EV drivers in the world. the main travel corridors, ”Schefter said.
NEHC was formed by merging two existing groups – the Electric Highway Coalition and the Midwest Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Collaboration – and then opening up participation to IEI members. The list now includes 51 IOUs, the Kansas Midwest Energy Electric Co-op and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The participating IOUs are geographically dispersed and cover most of the country, including Consolidated Edison in New York, Pacific Gas & Electric in California, Florida Power & Light Co. of NextEra Energy, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Tucson Electric Power in Arizona, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy in the southeast and Xcel Energy which operates in eight states.
According to a fact EEI sheet.
In the 48 contiguous states, only Nebraska does not have a NEHC footprint. That’s because the coalition has so far focused on IOUs and Nebraska only has electric utilities, Schefter said.
“Our initial push was for these investor-owned power companies, but we’re hoping that can expand over time,” he said.
All electric utilities will need to prepare for an increase in the number of electric vehicles, BlastPoint’s Borenstein said. Charging infrastructure and vehicle adoption are set to receive a boost from the federal government, which could lead to “exponential growth” in 2022 according to recent research from the company.
The $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure package signed in November by President Joe Biden includes $ 7.5 billion to build charging stations across the country.
Electric vehicles are “a technology that is poised to move from an early stage of adoption to something more mainstream,” Borenstein said. “The types of people who we think will buy vehicles in the next few years are going to change dramatically. “
The BlastPoint report examines census data to identify three levels of readiness for electric vehicle adoption, from areas ready for more vehicles to areas with significant barriers. The report can help utilities understand where their territories lie, Borenstein said, although in reality “a lot of utilities actually have all three [levels of readiness] on their territory. “
The NHEC corridors would cross many areas identified by BlastPoint as having barriers to adoption, especially in the southeast, Borenstein said, which could provide a boost to transportation through those regions and to confidence. local in the transition to electricity.
“The investment that is going to be invested in the NEHC, the installation of chargers along the main traffic corridors, is really important,” he said.
The BlastPoint report found a “commuter ring of accelerated electric vehicle adoption around most major cities,” while dense urban areas and rural areas “are slower to adopt.” The NEHC can help solve this problem, Borenstein said.
Right now, much of the charging infrastructure is in “places that are not really accessible to travelers,” including hotels and car dealerships, he said. “This initiative to install recharging infrastructure along these main roads is important because [it will allow] travelers cross these areas with barriers to adoption.
“But the side effect is that it will also provide more options for residents who might be interested in purchasing an electric vehicle,” he added.
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