The evening before the 2018 Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference & Expo, the Clean Transportation team at NC Clean Energy Technology Center displayed several plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles outside of the Durham Bulls baseball game on Aug. 21.
Learn more about electric vehicles by checking out our Electric Vehicles FAQ flyer here.
Attendees of the pre-conference events came to watch the game, enjoy networking and eat a barbeque dinner.
Rick Sapienza, Clean Transportation Director, accepted the game ball on the field and spoke with game announcers in a live radio interview (listen to below)!
36 States and D.C. Took 274 Actions Related to Electric Vehicles
The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its Q2 2018 edition of The 50 States of Electric Vehicles. The quarterly series provides insights on state regulatory and legislative discussions and actions on electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. The full Q2 2018 report, or an annual subscription to the report, may be purchased here.
The report finds that 36 states and the District of Columbia took actions related to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure during Q2 2018 (see figure below), with the greatest number of actions relating to electric vehicle rebate programs, followed by DC fast charging and Level 2 charging station deployment.
The report notes three trends in electric vehicle activity apparent or emerging in Q2 2018: (1) states diverging on the issue of regulatory oversight of electric vehicle charging stations, (2) states and utilities working to expand electric vehicle and charging access to low-income and disadvantaged communities, and (3) electric vehicle activity concentrating in particular states and regions.
A total of 274 electric vehicle actions were taken during Q2 2018 – more than were taken in the entirety of 2017 (227 actions). Seven states – New York, New Jersey, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Minnesota – accounted for over half of these actions.
Q2 2018 Legislative and Regulatory Action on Electric Vehicles
“Although the majority of electric vehicle policy activity is occurring in particular states and regions, many states throughout the country are beginning to study questions related to electric vehicles and address initial regulatory issues surrounding vehicle charging infrastructure,” noted David Sarkisian, Senior Policy Analyst at NCCETC.
The report notes the top electric vehicle actions taken during the quarter were:
• California regulators approving $738 million for electric vehicle infrastructure investments;
• Governor Cuomo announcing up to $250 million for electric vehicle expansion in New York;
• Utility regulators in Alabama and New Orleans addressing oversight of electric vehicle charging stations;
• The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada permitting NV Energy to own, operate, and rate base electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and
• The Vermont State legislature initiating an investigation into electric vehicles and charging.
“While we continue to see legislative actions on electric vehicles most concentrated in the states that are part of the Multi-State Zero-Emission Vehicle Taskforce, action pertaining to electric vehicles is occurring across the country,” noted Heather Brutz, Clean Transportation Manager at NCCETC. “This activity ranges from efforts to remove regulatory barriers to the creation of new incentive programs to directly promote vehicle and charging infrastructure deployment.”
42 States and DC Took Action on Electric Vehicles During Q1 2018
The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center released its Q1 2018 edition of The 50 States of Electric Vehicles. The quarterly series provides insights on state regulatory and legislative discussions and actions on electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
The report finds that 42 states and the District of Columbia took actions related to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure during Q1 2018 (see figure below), with the greatest number of actions relating to electric vehicle fees, fast charging deployment, and electric vehicle studies.
The report notes four trends in electric vehicle activity apparent or emerging in Q1 2018: (1) states considering multi-faceted electric vehicle plans, (2) contention around utility ownership of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, (3) examining the role of demand charges in vehicle charging rates, and (4) piloting the co-location of energy storage systems with electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
A total of 275 electric vehicle actions were taken during Q1 2018 – more than were taken in the entirety of 2017 (227 actions). New York, New Jersey and Hawaii took the greatest number of actions during the quarter, followed by Massachusetts, Washington and Minnesota.
Q1 2018 Legislative and Regulatory Action on Electric Vehicles
“So far in 2018, we see a number of states taking actions that incorporate multiple strategies or involve existing statewide goals,” noted 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 notes the top electric vehicle actions taken during the quarter were:
• Hawaii utilities publishing their Electrification of Transportation Strategic Roadmap;
• California regulators approving utilities’ first wave of proposed electric vehicle programs and investments;
• A Maryland working group proposing a statewide electric vehicle portfolio;
• Missouri utilities proposing new electric vehicle programs; and
• Pennsylvania regulators issuing a policy statement on third-party electric vehicle charging.
“It is exciting to watch states live up to their reputation as laboratories of democracy,” said 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.”
Driving on Solar Miles: Integrating Residential Solar and Electric Vehicle Charging panel at the 2018 State Energy Conference of North Carolina
Heather Brutz of NCCETC introduces the panelists of Driving on Solar Miles: Integrating Residential Solar and Electric Vehicle Charging at the 2018 State Energy Conference of North Carolina. Photo by Nicole Deck.
Industry experts discussed options available today for integrating residential solar with electric vehicle charging at the 2018 State Energy Conference of North Carolina last month. Panelists addressed some of the most commonly used technologies as well as the future of residential solar, electric vehicle charging and the grid.
The three panelists were Bharat Balagopal, a doctoral student at North Carolina State University; Stew Miller, President of Yes Solar Solutions; and Stan Cross, CEO of Brightfield Transportation Solutions. Heather Brutz, Transportation Finance and Operations Manager at NCCETC, was moderator.
Stan Cross (Brightfield Transportation Solutions)shared a map of electric vehicles and charging stations in North Carolina, and discussed the statistics of annual community benefits per 10,000 EVs:
• Approx. EV miles driven annually = 120M miles
• Barrels of Oil Avoided by EVs = 221K barrels
• GHG reduced from gasoline to grid power = 44M lbs.
• GHG reduced when Solar Driven = 84M lbs.
• EV-related fuel savings = $8.2M
• EV-related maintenance savings = $3.6M
• EV-related $$ Retained in the Community = $7.6M
Stew Miller (Yes Solar Solutions) said that the average gas-powered vehicle emits the equivalent of 11,435 lbs. of CO2 annually. And on average, using the NC electric grid to charge an EV releases 4,185 lbs. of CO2 each year.
Daily Cycle of Solar & Storage graphic by Yes Solar Solutions.
Miller said that by using solar and storage like Tesla Powerwall to generate and store the electricity needed to power their vehicles, EV drivers can reduce their transportation-related emissions to zero. Powering EVs with a home solar system is typically cheaper than charging your car with electricity from the grid as well, Miller said.
Bharat Balagopal discussed electric vehicle charging and integration with the smart grid.
According to Balagopal, benefits of community charging are:
• EVs are flexible loads that can improve the stability of the grid
• Sooth the adverse effect of renewable fluctuations by quickly changing the charge rates
• Improve the power quality by peak shaving (reducing the load) and valley filling (increasing the load)
However, risks include:
• Uncontrolled charging of multiple EVs can destabilize the grid
• Simultaneous charging of EVs can introduce huge load to the grid
To alleviate those risks, Balagopal said, researchers at Advanced Diagnosis, Automation, and Control Lab (ADAC) devised a method for smart charging of EVs to maximize benefits and minimize the risks of EV integration. Their technology, he said, can intelligently schedule the charging of the EVs based on energy needs, working schedule, renewable energy generation and load pattern.
There are two main enabling technologies that allow them to intelligently control the charging of the EVs — the Collaborative Distributed Energy Management System and the Smart Battery Gauge. To learn more, click here.
