The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC), part of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, has released its Q1 2018 edition of “The 50 States of Electric Vehicles,” which finds that 42 states and the District of Columbia took actions related to electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure during the first quarter of this year.
NCCETC’s quarterly series provides insights on state regulatory and legislative discussions and actions on EVs and charging infrastructure. In Q1 2018, the greatest number of actions were related to EV fees, fast-charging deployment and EV studies.
The report notes four trends in EV activity apparent or emerging in Q1 2018:
(1) States considering multi-faceted EV plans;
(2) Contention around utility ownership of EV charging infrastructure;
(3) Examining the role of demand charges in vehicle charging rates; and
(4) Piloting the co-location of energy storage systems with EV charging infrastructure.
According to the report, a total of 275 EV actions were taken during Q1 2018 – more than that of the entirety of 2017, when 227 actions were taken. Of the 275 actions of the first quarter, 85 were related to regulation, 58 were related to financial incentives and 51 were related to market development. Rounding out the list were 32 actions for studies and investigations, 25 actions for deployment and 24 actions for rate design.
New York, New Jersey and Hawaii took the greatest number of actions during the quarter, followed by Massachusetts, Washington and Minnesota, says NCCETC.
“So far in 2018, we see a number of states taking actions that incorporate multiple strategies or involve existing statewide goals,” notes Allison Carr, clean transportation specialist at NCCETC. “Several states and utilities are starting to connect electric vehicle planning with other statewide electric grid modernization, transportation and environmental goals.”
The report also names the top EV actions taken during the quarter:
- Hawaii utilities published their Electrification of Transportation Strategic Roadmap;
- California regulators approved utilities’ first wave of proposed EV programs and investments;
- A Maryland working group proposed a statewide EV portfolio;
- Missouri utilities proposed new electric vehicle programs; and
- Pennsylvania regulators issued a policy statement on third-party EV charging.
“It is exciting to watch states live up to their reputation as laboratories of democracy,” says Brian Lips, senior policy project manager at NCCETC. “States are testing out a variety of strategies to build strong electric vehicle markets and charging networks, with many states taking multi-pronged approaches themselves.”
More on the report can be found here.