Portland General Electric focuses on implementing transportation electrification programs
Planning for, serving and managing new electrical demand stemming from the adoption of electric vehicles is the focus of the future for Portland General Electric (PGE), as it works to implement the programs in its 2023 Transportation Electrification Plan.
“An electrified transportation sector is no longer a vision of the future – it’s a reality that PGE is working to make affordable, reliable and accessible to all,” PGE said on Sept. 14.
The electric utility noted that customers will need to be supported on their transportation electrification journey, and that equitability will be a critical need. In order to achieve this, the company announced a slew of programs, grants and incentives to help.
PGE is already collaborating with cities and municipalities to increase EV accessibility through a Neighborhood EV Charging initiative. And open to everyone is the PGE Smart Charging Program, an incentive system for individual customers to charge EVs during off-times, meaning lower prices for periods of time when energy demand is lower.
The company is also partnering with school districts, helping pay for electric school buses through the Electric School Bus Fund. A similar program, the Drive Change Fund, works with local nonprofits with electrification efforts. On the business and municipality side, PGE also utilizes the Fleet Partner Program to transition fleets, offering cost analysis, preliminary design construction and more.
Currently, about 40 percent of Oregon’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. One out of every six vehicles sold in the state is an EV, and that number is only expected to grow in the years ahead. PGE noted that taking steps now for the transition is important because to make going green achievable, it takes more than merely swapping conventional cars for EVs, if no one is to be left behind in the process.
