EV experts offer advice to utilities on getting to 18 million EVs in 2030

PHILADELPHIA – Experts discussed the important role that utilities play in increasing electric vehicle (EV) adoption at a panel Monday at the Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI) annual convention in Philadelphia.

Electric companies are participating in the development of EV charging infrastructure to support the growing number of EVs across the nation. A report released by EEI in November 2018 forecasted that the number of EVs on U.S. roads would increase from more than 1 million to more than 18 million in 2030. Utilities can not only help states meet their clean energy and transportation goals, but can also expand customer choice.

Colin Murchie, senior director of business development at EVgo, said that when the company that owns and operates DC fast chargers is treated as new load rather than as a competitor or a new technology, it is able to bring load to the utility faster. He noted that EVgo has been able to work with utilities to improve processes and reduce the time required to interconnect its chargers from approximately 180 to 270 days to as little as 14 days.

“So, we’ve been able to work with several utilities to just analyze their processes and to bring in best practices we’ve found from other utilities to get our load onto their grid faster, which has benefits for all of these ratepayers,” Murchie said.

Michael Hughes, chief commercial and revenue officer at ChargePoint, noted that simplifying the interconnection process and increasing the speed with which customers can move through it is crucial to expanding charging infrastructure.

“… I think that’s where having engineering services available, site survey available and then accelerating that program within the utility, that makes a tremendous amount of difference in getting infrastructure out there,” Hughes said.

National Grid CEO John Pettigrew, who moderated the panel, highlighted the importance of communication between customers and utilities throughout the interconnection process.

Murchie also noted that it’s important for charging infrastructure owners to provide utilities with an exact location for the new service connection they need, rather than just a general area.

Hughes discussed the importance of flexibility in the charging station model, public-private partnerships and the participation of the site host in the interconnection process.

“If you ignore the site host — and that’s wherever that charger might live — if they don’t have… some skin in the game, you’re headed towards a place where they’re not going to care, and that asset is going to be no longer useful to them over time,” Hughes said.

The majority of EV owners charge their vehicles at their homes and workplaces. If an individual’s workplace has an EV charger, they are five to seven times more likely to purchase an EV, he said.

“So, if you’re really trying to get to this … 18 million goal, put a charger at your office because that will encourage someone to buy an EV and then you’ll go from there,” Hughes said.

Also participating in the panel were Lin-Zhuang Khoo, senior vice president of strategy at Greenlots, and Chris King, chief policy officer for digital grid at Siemens AG.