The Montana legislature on April 8 approved a bill that aims to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the state by allowing utilities to sell power to private entities operating charging stations in their service territories. The bill would also determine that these operators are not public utilities. (HB 456) Under the legislation, charges pertaining…
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality selected 18 government entities to receive funding for electric vehicle charging projects from the state’s $35 million share of the Volkswagen Clean Diesel settlement, according to an April 1 press release. Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, designated the department to oversee the allocation of settlement funds. The DEQ decided to put 11 percent,…
A bill introduced on March 11 by Republican Representatives John Szoka, Dean Arp, Bobby Hanig, and Harry Warren seeks to allow charging to resell kilowatt-hours originally purchased from an electric utility, in a bid to spur more private investment into electric charging infrastructure around the state and more North Carolinians to drive electric. Currently, operators…
Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, proposed three innovative utility programs to explore vehicle-to-grid power flow management, study the value of behind-the-meter grid optimized solar-plus-battery installations, and improve outage response by deploying line sensor technology on distribution circuits, according to a March 8 filing with the Utah Public Service Commission. The initiatives form the…...
Tesla Inc. on Feb. 28 requested rehearing of the New York Public Service Commission’s order approving an incentive program for electric vehicle charging stations, finding that the agency’s definition of “publicly accessible” stations disqualifies Tesla’s charging technology without any rational basis. The commission, in its Feb. 7 order adopting an annual declining per-plug incentive program,…
The Missouri Public Service Commission has decided to open a proceeding to study ways of accelerating the development and deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the state, after a court decision last year determined that these assets were under the commission’s jurisdiction. The process is open to any input from stakeholders, but the commission…
The Maryland Department of the Environment released a plan to invest the state’s allocation of $75.7 million from the Volkswagen settlement in transportation strategies and projects to improve air quality, according to a Feb. 13 press release. The plan intends to use the full 15 percent of the amount that is allowed for electric vehicle…
The Iowa Utilities Board issued a proposed rule on Feb. 6 that would remove electric vehicle charging stations from the definition of public utility under state law. The proposal, intended to establish guidelines for charging at public facilities, follows a discussion held last October to gather stakeholder input. The proposal would specify that electricity sold…
Democratic Senator Ed Markey and Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a Green New Deal resolution on Feb. 7 setting out the goals and aspirations of the ambitious plan which seeks to tackle the nation’s contribution to climate change by making it carbon free over just a decade. The resolution calls for unprecedented, World War II-style mobilization of the U.S. economy…
Democratic Governor Jared Polis on Jan. 17 issued an executive order detailing initiatives and strategies aimed at facilitating a transition to electric vehicles. Polis said that the transition will support the state’s goal of 100 percent renewable electricity by 2040. The order directs the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment to develop a rule…
The Maryland Public Service Commission approved a five-year electric vehicle charging program for the state’s largest utilities, taking a major step towards its ambitious goal of putting 300,000 electric vehicles on roadways by 2025, according to a Jan. 14 press release. The order permits utilities to own a limited number of public charging stations, in…
The Illinois Commerce Commission on Jan. 9 released a report identifying challenges and opportunities related to electric vehicle deployment and its impact on the grid. The report identifies high upfront costs, range anxiety, lack of charging stations, and inadequate consumer awareness as the key barriers to widespread adoption. The main benefits surrounding electric vehicles pertain…