Phoenix-based utility Arizona Public Service (APS) claims electric vehicle (EV) owners and those considering the purchase of an EV stand to benefit from the company’s Energy Efficiency proposal currently before the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).
The utility says the proposal includes the following:
- Outfitting new homes with pre-wiring for vehicle charging outlets;
- Helping Arizona businesses and cities electrify their fleet;
- Providing free electric buses and charging stations to select school districts;
- Increasing the number of charging stations; and
- Placing charging stations in multi-family housing locations.
According to the utility, customers drawing energy from APS will have the added satisfaction of knowing that half of the energy produced by the company is already carbon-free. As more Arizonans choose EVs, APS’ proposal is to begin installing the infrastructure required for such vehicles to become commonplace in Arizona.
“Arizonans want to embrace electric vehicles, but lack of a charging infrastructure for the new vehicles is a hurdle to adoption,” says Marc Romito, director of customer technology at APS. “Many questions remain: Where can you charge if you live in an apartment? How do you get new charging stations installed? Will charging stations require complicated upgrades to a customer’s electrical system?
“Our Energy Efficiency plan addresses these infrastructure questions and would enable the electric vehicle market to take an exciting step forward, while also saving EV owners money and keeping energy dollars in the Arizona economy,” adds Romito. “Using APS’ recently approved Super Off-Peak and Off-Peak Time-of-Use rates, residential customers would be able to charge their vehicles for the gasoline cost equivalent of 30 to 90 cents per gallon.”
The Energy Efficiency plan can be viewed in its entirety here.