Monday Study – Transportation Electrification Policy Drives On

The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: Q1 2022

May 4, 2022 (North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center)

Executive Summary

Q1 2022 ELECTRIC VEHICLE ACTION

In Q1 2022, 50 states plus DC took a total of 627 actions related to electric vehicles. Table 1 provides a summary of state and utility actions occurring during Q1 2022. Of the 627 actions catalogued, the most common were related to Financial Incentives (172), followed by Regulation (137), and Market Development (134).

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TOP ELECTRIC VEHICLE ACTIONS OF Q1 2022

Five of the quarter’s most notable electric vehicle actions are noted below.

Washington Lawmakers Approve Light-Duty Vehicle Electrification Target

The Washington State Legislature enacted S.B. 5974 in March 2022, which sets a target for the state of having all publicly and privately owned passenger and light-duty vehicles of model year 2030 or later solar, purchased, or registered in the state be electric vehicles. The bill also creates an interagency electric vehicle coordinating council that will develop a plan to achieve the target.

Utilities File New Managed Charging Pilots in North Carolina and Wisconsin

Duke Energy filed an application for a new managed charging pilot program in North Carolina in February 2022, which would allow residential customers to pay a fixed monthly rate for athome charging, with the utility using vehicle telematics to actively manage charging. In Wisconsin, Madison Gas & Electric requested approval for three new managed charging pilot programs, targeting multi-family buildings, fleets, and residential customers.

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Missouri Regulators Approve New Utility Transportation Electrification Programs

In January 2022, the Missouri Public Service Commission issued decisions on transportation electrification portfolios proposed by Empire District Electric and Evergy. For Empire District Electric, regulators approved a residential charging station subscription program and programs to deploy utility-owned charging infrastructure at commercial sites. For Evergy, the Commission approved a new residential rebate program and an electric transit service rate.

North Carolina Governor Increases Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption Target

The Governor of North Carolina issued an executive order in January 2022, increasing the state’s goal for registered zero-emission vehicles to 1.25 million by 2030. The order also sets a goal of having at least 50% of new vehicle sales in the state be zero-emission by 2030. The order directs the state’s Department of Transportation to develop a Clean Transportation Plan for decarbonizing the transportation sector through a variety of strategies.

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Georgia Legislators Adopt Resolution to Study Transportation Electrification

The Georgia General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution in March 2022 creating a committee to study transportation electrification. The committee will develop a comprehensive, strategic plan setting policy objectives for infrastructure, economic preparedness, transportation funding, innovation, and the development of a successful electric vehicle market in the state

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TOP ELECTRIC VEHICLE POLICY TRENDS OF Q1 2022

States Planning for Federal Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding

During Q1 2022, many states began preparing for the use of federal electric vehicle infrastructure funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted in November 2021. The North Carolina Utilities Commission opened a proceeding to collect comments related to the use of this funding, while West Virginia lawmakers enacted a bill requiring the creation of an electric vehicle infrastructure development plan for the use of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program funding. Similarly, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality is developing a plan for the use of this funding and a Kentucky bill would require the preparation of an electric vehicle infrastructure development plan for these funds. Other states considered legislation to create special funds for federal appropriations for electric vehicle infrastructure.

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Utilities Developing Active Managed Charging Pilot Programs

A growing number of utilities are developing managed charging pilot programs to minimize grid impacts and provide system-wide benefits. In North Carolina, Duke Energy proposed a new managed charging pilot, where customers would pay a fixed monthly fee for at-home charging, with the utility able to pause charging for up to four hours, three times per month. Madison Gas & Electric requested approval for three new managed charging programs in Wisconsin during the quarter, including a program that will use a telematics platform for the utility to control vehicle charging. In Minnesota, regulators approved Xcel Energy’s EV Optimization pilot in March 2022. Through the pilot, Xcel Energy will work with customers to schedule daily vehicle charging based on the customer’s choice of a preferred schedule that ensures charging occurs outside of the system peak. A managed charging working group has been working to refine managed charging programs for Eversource and United Illuminating in Connecticut, with revised design requirements filed in late April 2022. The programs will include both passive and active managed charging programs.

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State Lawmakers Addressing Charging Infrastructure Siting Issues

Lawmakers in several states addressed issues related to charging infrastructure siting during the quarter. In Delaware, legislators passed a bill that requires municipalities with at least 30,000 people to adopt ordinances establishing a procedure to obtain a permit to install a charging station on property next to residential streets. Legislators in Utah and Washington enacted bills prohibiting homeowners’ associations from unreasonably restricting the ability of homeowners to install electric vehicle charging equipment. Utah’s legislation also specifies that associations may not charge a fee for homeowners to install or use charging stations. Similar legislation is pending in Hawaii, Illinois, and New York. In Hawaii, lawmakers are also considering a bill that would require homeowners’ associations and other community associations to develop plans incorporating zero-emission vehicle fueling stations into their residential properties constructed after January 1, 2023…

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