PPL Corp. joins Electric Highway Coalition to advance EV charging system
With 18 million electric vehicles estimated to be on American roads by 2030, according to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), investor-owned utilities like PPL Corp. are stepping in to ensure there will be lots of charging stations to keep EVs moving.
The Allentown, Pa.-based power company, which provides electricity and natural gas to some 2.5 million customers, is the latest to join the Electric Highway Coalition, a growing partnership of U.S. utilities established to support the development of a seamless network of EV rapid-charging stations connecting major highway systems.
PPL’s move, announced on Monday, is part of its commitment to advance a cleaner energy future and drive innovation that may help the entire industry achieve net-zero emissions, according to Vince Sorgi, president and CEO of PPL Corp.
“We are proud to be part of this united effort to support electric transportation in a collaborative and intelligent way that is beneficial for our customers and the environment,” Sorgi said in a Sept. 27 statement.
Formed in March, the Electric Highway Coalition plans to build one seamless network of EV charging stations connecting major highway systems stretching from the Atlantic Coast through the Midwest, South and into the Gulf and Central Plains regions. Other members of the coalition include American Electric Power, AVANGRID Inc., Consolidated Edison, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, DTE Energy, Entergy Corp., Eversource Energy, Exelon Corp., FirstEnergy Corp., ITC Holdings Corp., National Grid, Southern Company, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The coalition will focus on optimizing the placement of infrastructure and complementing existing travel corridor fast-charging sites, which initially will be located less than 100 miles apart on major roadways. Each site also will have at least two charging stations with universal vehicle compatibility and at least 100 kilowatts of output per station, enabling drivers to get back on the road in 20-30 minutes, according to the coalition.
PPL’s utility companies — Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E), Kentucky Utilities, and PPL Electric Utilities — will collaborate with their coalition partners to provide the EV charging stations that will be designed to broaden the network charging infrastructure and create options for long-distance EV travel.
In Kentucky, for instance, Kentucky Utilities and LG&E already have deployed nearly two dozen publicly accessible charging stations and launched a hosted vehicle-charging program. The companies also plan to deploy more fast-charging stations along major Kentucky highway corridors.
In Pennsylvania, PPL Electric Utilities is using data analytics to plan future expansions of EV fast charging and to help determine the best locations for fast-charging infrastructure interconnections.
And once PPL finalizes its acquisition of The Narragansett Electric Co., PPL said that those Rhode Island operations also will be included in its coalition membership.
“The Electric Highway Coalition is an unprecedented commitment of the industry to support the future of electric transportation by providing comprehensive EV infrastructure so customers can travel without interruption or range anxiety,” said Sorgi.
PPL companies also are supporting EV drivers through programs that aim to improve accessibility to charging infrastructure and provide tools and information for drivers to make informed choices, according to the utility, which is also working to electrify its fleet vehicles and reduce its overall transportation footprint as part of its company-wide goal to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
The Electric Highway Coalition currently represents 29 states and the District of Columbia and serves more than 60 million customers.
