Old adversaries from the rooftop solar fights are finding common ground on transportation electrification.
Opponents to EVs, often representing or funded by the oil and gas industry, remain. But they now have the electric utility industry to contend with rather than only a handful of disruptive startups.
EV fees can often act as an alternative for funding that vehicles usually pay through the federal gas tax, said Heather Brutz, CETC clean transportation project manager. But EVs are a small portion of that, she said, and gas tax revenues are also falling because of public transport and more efficient conventional vehicles.
Charger ownership is a controversial question because some private sector charger providers are concerned about regulated utilities’ competitive advantages. But many EV advocates argue that utilities are uniquely positioned to drive deployment and break through a key barrier to transportation electrification growth.
Many proposals included pilot projects to identify what peak periods and on-peak-to off-peak price ratios customers respond to, she said. “The heart of rate design is getting EV owners to charge during off peak times and avoid charging during the system’s peak demand.”
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