IEI panelists highlight electric transportation benefits for environment, fuel cost savings for customers
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and a number of energy and transportation leaders on Tuesday underscored the critical need for electric transportation throughout the United States at an event hosted by the Edison Foundation’s Institute for Electric Innovation (IEI).
“It isn’t just about saving the planet anymore. It is about saving money from our power plants to our auto plants to fleets, cars and homes,” said Stabenow, a member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Stabenow was a featured speaker at IEI’s “Powering the People” event on advancing electric transportation, a priority of IEI, an organization that counts investor-owned electric companies among its members. Attendees discussed the wide range of benefits that come with the increased adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) as well as opportunities to expand electric trucks.
The challenge of building an affordable electric car was first undertaken in the early part of the last century by Ford Motor founder Henry Ford and inventor Thomas Edison, noted Stabenow. “The challenge they had was to build a [light weight] battery that could operate for long distances without charging,” she said, noting that remains a crucial issue today. “How far can I go and how do I charge it? That’s what everyone asks.”
Although there are still some snafus, Stabenow believes they will soon be resolved.
As of June, more than 1.27 million EVs are on U.S. roads, according to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), and it said investor-owned electric companies are investing more than $1.3 billion in customer programs and projects to accelerate electric transportation, such as by deploying charging infrastructure.
Stabenow last year failed in her own efforts to drive a Chevrolet Bolt in one day from Michigan to Washington, D.C. Yet improvements have been made in the number of charging stations and other infrastructure concerns that thwarted her trip. She hopes to meet the goal of that drive within a year.
The senator has long championed electric vehicles. In April she joined with U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Susan Collins (R-ME) and with U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) to introduce the Driving America Forward Act, S. 1094/H.R. 2256. That bipartisan legislation would expand tax credits of up to $7,500 for consumers that purchase electric vehicles.
Prior to Stabenow’s statements, EEI President Tom Kuhn, IEI Executive Director Lisa Wood, Michael Berube, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Sustainable Transportation at the U.S. Department of Energy, and others hailed recent EV victories and support including an order for 100,000 electric delivery trucks by Amazon. Wood noted that was the largest single order ever made for such vehicles.
Beyond the positive environmental impact of EVs and their fuel cost-effectiveness, the electrification of transportation will allow the United States to lessen its reliance on oil imports.
In California, the state has made great strides toward clean energy sources, said Estela de Llanos, vice president of Clean Transportation, Sustainability and Chief Environmental Officer at San Diego Gas & Electric. “Our portfolio is 45 percent renewable. And the data shows that electric vehicles, whether they are charged at the workplace or home, are charged at the perfect time,” she said.
Electric companies are supporting the EV transition by helping to integrate EV charging efficiently into the energy grid, such as by having EV rates in place to encourage customers to charge their vehicles during off-peak times.
“Charging at the right time is very important,” Berube said. “The promise of EVs is low operating costs, but we can only get low operating costs if this is done the right way and at the right speed. That includes having smart charge management between vehicles and the grid. We can’t have millions of vehicles at one place to charge.”
Meanwhile, aggressive climate measures in California, specifically around vehicles, have significantly improved air and living quality, de Llanos said. “Our goal is to make sure we are always very focused on both climate change benefits, that are huge, and the very local potential impact on communities associated with toxic air contaminants.”
A report by the California Air Resources Board noted the 825 million miles driven in the state produced 5.4 million tons of pollutants and 350,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. By next year, de Llanos said, California plans for air quality to return to 1990 levels.
“How we will meet these needs and other requirements is by [having transportation] 100 percent electric,” she said.
Part of the challenge of expanding electric transportation is increasing the awareness of customers about the benefits of EVs.
“It has been challenging to talk to consumers and educate them,” said Britta Gross, managing director of the Mobility Practice at Rocky Mountain Institute. “Awareness can’t be overstated. It could have gone much better if it wasn’t perceived as a scary thing.”
