Six electric utilities plan new EV fast-charging corridor

Six major electric utilities announced plans to build a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations connecting major highways in the South, Midwest, Gulf and Central Plains regions.

The utilities have formed the Electric Highway Coalition. Participants include Duke Energy, American Electric Power, Dominion Energy, Entergy Corporation, Southern Company and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The DC fast-charging network will allow an EV driver to go from Cleveland, Ohio, to Harlingen, Texas, 1,625 miles away on the Gulf of Mexico. Service will be uninterrupted across the utilities’ regional boundaries.

“We are working to help drivers see that EVs fit their lifestyle and their travel plans, wherever the road might take them,” said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP’s chairman, president and chief executive officer.

A big goal for the coalition is to allay concerns about “range anxiety,” i.e., the possibility of an EV running out of power far from home, with limited or unknown places to recharge. The network will provide confidence about driving EVs long distances, not just around town. DC fast chargers can get an EV back on the road in approximately 20-30 minutes.

“The path to cleaner transportation is a robust charging infrastructure along the nation’s major highways,” said Lang Reynolds, director of Electrification Strategy for Duke Energy. “Range anxiety is a barrier to more EV adoption. This coalition can erase those obstacles and help deliver the benefits of EV ownership to consumers.” The Edison Electric Institute estimates 18 million EVs will be on U.S. roads by 2030.

Reynolds said that for Duke work has already started on some of the network. Duke installed more than 570 charging stations in Florida; 50 are fast-charging stations. Work in South Carolina starts in a few months and in North Carolina later this year, Reynolds said. Complete project timetables, however, are not set yet. Reynolds said the overall coalition target is for initial work to start no later than third quarter this year.

Recent utility developments align with and support the coalition’s broad scope. State public utility commissions are increasingly approving utilities’ requests to invest in transportation electrification (TE) projects.

In 2020, for example, Duke Energy received the okay to build fast-charging stations in North and South Carolina.

AEP is working in many states on EV-related rate policies and incentives and to offer consulting services for fleet electrification.

Entergy is working with regulators on next steps for consumer electrification. Leo Denault, chairman and CEO of Entergy Corporation, said that “initiatives like the proposed charging corridor will help lower transportation emissions and provide community benefits for all our stakeholders.”

For utilities themselves, TE is increasingly important. Consider: AEP seeks to replace 2,300 company cars and trucks with EV models by 2030. Southern Company plans to convert 50 percent of its vehicles by 2030. Entergy’s “Green Fleet Strategy” has invested in more than 40 charging stations for the company’s fleet. Duke Energy has an internal initiative called “Electrify By Example,” which installs workplace chargers to enable employees to drive electric.

In the next few years, utility employees will depend on an expanded charging network in order to drive all of those new EVs throughout company service territories. Chris Cummiskey, executive vice president, chief commercial officer and customer solutions officer at Southern Company, noted that Southern Company “is committed to being a leader in continuing to increase the reach of electric transportation for more and more drivers.”

The coalition is still working to determine charging station locations. Dominion Energy said that sites along major highway routes with easy access and amenities for travelers are being considered. Robert M. Blue, Dominion’s president and CEO, said the company is “committed to equitable and reliable charging access.”

TVA’s goal is for more than 200,000 EVs in the Tennessee Valley by 2028. “We are focused on being innovative transportation leaders,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO.

Lyash expects that transportation electrification will promote related investments in technology and economic innovation in TVA’s seven-state territory. “EV adoption will spur jobs and economic investment,” he said. “It will keep dollars in the local economy, reduce the region’s largest source of carbon emissions, and save drivers and businesses money.” Lyash believes TE’s impact in TVA’s territory can be as profound as the initial impact, almost 90 years ago, of regional electrification.

Tennessee expects compounded benefits. The Coalition’s announcement follows recent news of a TVA partnership with Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation to develop and fund a fast-charging network across interstates and major highways. That project work is expected to start in 2022 and be completed in 2026.

The coalition is not a closed group. Future plans include working with other regional utility TE initiatives.