The full-scale commercialisation of plug-in electric vehicles took a step forward after the US electric utilities collectively pledged to move forward and create infrastructure to support their deployment.
Following efforts by Edison Electric Institute to survey the current state of electric transportation initiatives among the leading utilities, five areas of focus have been outlined as the companies collectively prepare for the use of electricity as a crucial transportation fuel:
- Infrastructure: Along with state regulatory and legislative bodies, the utilities have pledged to address any potential impacts from fuelling large numbers of plug-in vehicles from the electrical grid. They will also collaborate with state and local officials as well as public and private entities and car manufacturers to develop a comprehensive charging infrastructure deployment plan.
- Customer support: They will pledge to assure a customer service system is in place that can be scaled to large numbers of plug-in vehicle customer requests. They will also work with stakeholders to bring about a streamlined charging installation process.
- Customer and stakeholder education: The utilities will collaborate with officials, public and private entities and car manufacturers to implement a national education programme that highlights the benefits of electricity as an alternative fuel; the benefits of electric transportation; the creation of a public-access charging infrastructure; and the importance and benefits of off-peak charging.
- Vehicle and infrastructure incentives: They will work to help develop purchase and ownership incentives to support the deployment of vehicles and infrastructure. These could include tax rebates, off-peak charging rates, preferential parking, and grants for charging infrastructure installation.
- Utility fleets: The utilities will develop new sustainable fleet acquisition and operation plans to help drive development and deployment of electric transportation solutions.
According to Anthony F Earley Jr, the chairman and CEO of DTE Energy and the chairman of the Edison Electric Institute, the industry recognises the need to lay the groundwork to make plug-in transportation a reality and not just a vision.
