Assembly Proposal : EV Coalition

Title: EV Coalition

Motion: I recommend that 350 CT become a member of the CT EV coalition

350 CT would get emails from CT Fund for the Environment (CFE) occasionally on EV-specific advocacy submissions asking 350 CT to confirm that we are comfortable with our organization being listed as a member for specific submissions (with draft for review). We can always choose not to sign on to specific submissions. Also, the CT EV Coalition is hoping to have a legislative proposal for 2019 that would help accelerate EV deployment and clean transportation in Connecticut, where the coalition would have opportunities for engaging at the Capitol this winter for those interested.

The CT EV Coalition is Working to Support Key Policies to Boost EV Use in Connecticut:

Improve equity and stakeholder confidence with expanded rebate program: Current funding for rebates in CT is diminishing. CT needs to institutionalize its rebate program to give buyers security that funding will be available when choosing their next vehicle. To advance environmental justice and equity, CT also needs an income eligible program that offers bigger rebates and rebates for used cars to customers in lower income brackets. Smart Integration of EVs and the Electric Grid: Modernize the electric system to enable smart EV integration and facilitate a more cost-effective transition to electric transportation. Utility companies and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority should work together to ensure that new EV load is incorporated in a safe, reliable, and efficient manner through smart rate design, grid impact studies, technology evaluation, and load management. Increase Access to Charging Infrastructure: Expand access to charging stations along highways and in parking facilities that serve multifamily dwellings and workplaces. Institute EV-ready building codes that require sufficient electrical infrastructure to support charging stations in garages and parking areas in new construction. Ban unreasonable restrictions on EV charging equipment at existing multi-unit dwellings. Ensure VW settlement funds support continued electrification of the state’s transportation system. Adopt a Regional Policy to Reduce GHG Emissions from Transportation: Attach a price or cap to carbon emissions from transportation fuels (accounting for their negative health impacts and harm to our environment and climate) and use proceeds to both incentivize transportation electrification and raise money to invest in systems and improve transportation equity.

Background:

The CT Electric Vehicle Coalition, a diverse group of clean energy advocates, organized labor, and environmental justice groups, commends PURA for including electric vehicles in its scope of the Grid Modernization proceeding. Electric vehicles (EVs), which encompass not just passenger vehicles, but medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, are critical technologies Connecticut must deploy to meet its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements and Zero Emission Vehicle Memorandum of Understanding commitments. EVs have zero tailpipe emissions, and even with New England’s electricity mix today, these vehicles cut GHG emissions as much as 75% compared to conventional vehicles. These emissions savings will only increase as the region continues to clean and modernize the electric system. Importantly, EVs also reduce harmful air pollution, create economic development opportunities, and reduce reliance on imported petroleum fuels. Recognizing these benefits, the state has committed with other Northeast and West Coast states to put 3.3 million of these vehicles on the road by 2025.

Utilities could help spur the advancement of EVs through a range of new policies and programs. Smart integration of EVs into the grid can help maximize GHG emissions reductions by optimizing grid utilization. Through appropriate customer signals, the flexible load of EVs can better integrate renewable resources or shift load by charging at periods of low demand. These changes improve the efficiency of the grid and reduce costs for all ratepayers, while at the same time improving the economics of operating an EV. Broad deployment of EVs also hinges on widely available charging infrastructure, which utilities have a role in supporting. Utility investment in make-ready infrastructure, for example, can complement the competitive market, address coordination problems, and help to overcome barriers to entry in important market segments, including low-income communities and multi-family housing.

Utility programs and investments to support EVs must align with broader principles of utility regulation, including grid modernization and rate design. As such, the CT EV Coalition requests PURA to consider the following principles, particularly how they impact EV deployment, within the Grid Modernization docket.

Principles on Grid Modernization and Electric Vehicles in Connecticut

Rate design must be improved. Granular, efficient, and technology-neutral pricing must be developed to support new technologies and promote Connecticut’s public policy goals. Demand charges are a major barrier for several EV charging applications, and Connecticut has a beneficial pilot that eliminates demand charges for certain types of EV charging stations. Further reforms to rate design, including broader adoption of time of use rates without demand charges, can simultaneously accelerate EV adoption and incentivize EV charging at optimal times.
Equity and access should be incorporated into a wide range of EV programs. This includes rate design and programs to increase access to electric transportation and EV charging stations in underserved and marginalized communities.
Education and outreach strategies are needed to support well-designed programs. Consumer awareness and understanding are crucial to adoption rates and achievement of program goals.
Distribution system planning must be improved to include local clean energy alternatives to traditional infrastructure. Methods must be developed for stronger consideration of clean, local resources, including EVs as flexible load and distributed storage.
Promotion of interoperability and data disclosure should be conditions of participation in utility investment programs. Connecticut should generally apply consumer-friendly regulations to all public EV charging stations, notably pricing disclosure, measurement accuracy, and open access. In addition, key charging station objectives can be included conditions of participation in utility investment programs, such as interoperability of charging connectors and data disclosure.
The utility business model must be changed to incentivize policy-driven outcomes. Utilities must shift their business model to rely less on return on capital investment and more on performance incentives for consumer and environmental outcomes.
Utility benefit-cost calculations must be updated to reflect the public interest. These calculations should be applied to all types of new utility investments, including those that facilitate EVs. Through this proceeding, PURA could explore options for including GHG reductions and petroleum fuel savings in benefit-cost calculations.
Robust stakeholder input and processes are needed to inform any utility programs.

The Connecticut EV Coalition respectfully requests that this multi-phase grid modernization proceeding include a track to carefully evaluate regulatory mechanisms to ensure smart integration of EVs into the grid, which takes into consideration the grid modernization principles above, and addresses the appropriate roles for utilities with respect to EV acceleration and deployment of EV charging infrastructure. We look forward to engaging with PURA on these important topics.