Energy Efficiency, Utilities  -  June 4, 2018

$1.3 billion from California, NJ, NY for EV infrastructure

A total of $1.3 billion will be invested by California, New York, and New Jersey in charging infrastructure for electric cars.

A report in The Verge noted that this investment will "help chip away at one of the biggest barriers standing in the way of widespread EV adoption."

California’s Public Utilities Commission approved up to $738 million in projects over the next five year, including $343 million by Southern California Edison and $236 million by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The projects will build charging infrastructure to support thousands of medium or heavy-duty vehicles at around 1,500 locations throughout the state. PG&E will spend an additional $22 million to build 234 DC fast-charging stations at some 50 different sites throughout the state.

In New York, the governor’s office announced a pledge of up to $250 million to its electric vehicle expansion initiative, EVolve NY. Up to 200 DC fast chargers will be installed by the New York Power Authority, who will work with the private sector on these installations. The goal is to make them available every 30 miles along key interstate corridors as well as in urban areas.

New Jersey’s biggest utility owner Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) announced a $300 million pledge to build out up to 50,000 charging stations along highways, in residential areas, and at workplaces.

New York’s announcement was an extension of the Zero Emission Vehicle Action Plan that the state put in place in 2014, which was an agreement between eight states to get 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. New Jersey’s EV infrastructure push is part of a larger $14 to $17 billion plan from PSEG to clean up the state’s energy usage.

The reported noted that while these investments might not directly affect the other 47 states, they could influence the spread of EVs around the country. "Getting electric vehicles past 1 percent market share will still prove challenging because range anxiety remains a concern for most consumers," said Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. "If states like California, New Jersey, and New York can support these new EVs with an expanded charging infrastructure the combination could, finally, push electric cars beyond the niche status they’ve been stuck in for over two decades."

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