Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Product Development Manager Paul Gardner unveiled PSE's upcoming electric vehicle programs, which aim to promote the expansion of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and encourage transportation electrification in the region.
At Wednesday's Thurston Regional Planning Council's Transportation Policy Board (TRPC-TPB) meeting, Gardner said public charging, residential charging, and technology demonstrations are slated to launch in 2024.
According to Gardner, PSE installed its first public EV charging stations in Lacey this year as part of a pilot project. He mentioned that they installed two Level 2 chargers and two DC fast chargers in the city near a park and the downtown business district next to Ricardo's restaurant.
Gardner said they are looking at continuing the public charging project next year.
In previous presentations at one of Olympia's committees, Climate Programs Director Dr. Pamela Braff explained that Level 2 charger infrastructure uses a 240-volt power source and can give the vehicle 10-20 miles of range per hour of charging. DC Fast Charger delivers direct current (DC) power directly to the EV's battery. It uses around 480V and gives a vehicle 60-80 miles of driving on a 20-minute charge.
Gardner added that the new program will allow for many types of installations.
Specifically, Gardner was talking about pole-mounted chargers on the curbside. It is a vertical installation, where there is a transformer and electrical panel meter that would be on a pole. He provided a photo of a Level 2 charger about 10 to 12 feet from the right of way. "We can save 50% to 70% on an installation cost because there is little to no civil work, tapping into the existing capacity at a given distribution pool or streetlight."
They also plan to put the charges next to properties, like multifamily – if they cannot electrify, so renters can have access to charging.
The residential charging project will launch early next year. It will focus on incentivizing customers to install Level 2 chargers compatible with load management. The utility wants the ability to control these chargers to turn them on and off at certain times, called demand response, which allows PSE to manage energy loads on the electric grid better.
As part of the program, PSE will provide incentives of $300 for standard customers, while customers in the Empower Mobility program will receive $600.
The Empower Mobility program is a PSE initiative that provides enhanced incentives and support for underserved and income-qualified customers.
Gardner also discussed PSE's plan for technology demonstrations as part of their transportation electrification efforts.
The PSE wants to explore the commercial vehicle-to-grid, which involves using the battery storage of an electrified vehicle, like a school bus, to provide power back to the electric grid while the vehicle is idle or parked.
PSE wants to explore how they can tap into the battery of these vehicles to provide grid services and benefits like increased resilience.
Gardner said PSE is interested in exploring how they can tap into the battery of these vehicles to provide grid services and benefits like increased resilience while also finding compensation mechanisms that work for both the utility and the vehicle owners, like a school district.
Through community engagement efforts, Gardner said, one topic that came up was agricultural electrification.
He noted that many agricultural businesses are not comfortable with electric vehicle technology.
The PSE is considering a technology demonstration focused on small to medium, "boutique" type farms to help them electrify aspects of their operations. That could involve PSE procuring electric tractors or other agricultural equipment and allowing farms to use the vehicles for a set period to gain experience with the technology.
PSE is currently undertaking four programs related to vehicle electrification.
They have continuing education and outreach initiatives that address programs that help grow awareness of electric vehicles, charging options, and the cost and benefits of switching to EVs.
The multifamily program offers the installation of electric charging stations at apartment complexes and other multi-unit dwellings.
Under the program, if an apartment complex or other multifamily dwelling has parking stalls shared by multiple residents, the utility will install Level 2 chargers at no cost to the property owners. The PSE owns and will fully fund the design, installation, operations, and maintenance.
However, Gardner said the PSE also offers flexible ownership options. For properties that prefer to take ownership and manage the charging infrastructure, the utility provides incentives to help offset those costs. The PSE has an Empower Mobility incentive under this program, which will fund the customer ownership option at 100% of costs, compared to 50% for other customers.
A Fleet charging program was piloted in 2018-2019. This program is designed to help small businesses, school districts, municipalities, and other community organizations electrify their vehicle fleets.
Like the multifamily program, it offers flexible ownership options - under the "PSE-owned" approach. The utility will fully fund the design, installation, engineering, and ongoing maintenance and operation of chargers at no cost to the fleet owner.
For fleets with capital to invest in electrification, the utility provides incentives to help offset those costs.
The utility provides enhanced incentives for customers enrolled in its Empower Mobility program, which aims to promote transportation equity. That includes direct incentives to help Empower Mobility customers procure electric vehicles.
The utility also offers a workplace charging program with the same flexible ownership and incentive structures as the multifamily program aimed at businesses. It allows them to electrify parking areas so employees can charge their electric vehicles at work.
According to Gardner, these initiatives were proposed as part of a five-year plan submitted to regulatory agencies, outlining the utility's strategies for transportation electrification through 2027.
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Southsoundguy
This is a misallocation of capital.
Friday, October 13, 2023 Report this