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Electrifying Transportation

Updated January 28, 2019

New York State utilities are looking to make it easier for New Yorkers to choose electric vehicles (EVs) in support of electric grid benefits and the state’s goal to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. REV Connect is facilitating innovative ideas and business models that work in partnership with utilities to support increased market adoption of personal and fleet EVs, the growth of EV infrastructure, and intelligent integration of EVs into the electric grid.

Possible utility partnership opportunities could include:

  • Offering low-cost financing options for EVs or charging stations, including financing that can supplement current government or utility incentives
  • Expanding commercial and specialty EV applications such as buses, forklifts, and garbage trucks, and integrating these applications into the utility grid
  • Engaging customers through marketing campaigns for EVs
  • Offering pricing incentives or technologies to encourage grid-beneficial behavior, such as off-peak charging
  • Providing technology and policy solutions to limit EV charging’s impact during peak periods, such as utility management of EV charging and vehicle-to-grid demand response (DR)
  • Developing business models and partnerships that support the deployment of EV-related infrastructure, including:
    • Expanding charging stations in settings where market failures are preventing private sector charging providers from meeting customer demand
    • Establishing methods to identify locations with apparent customer benefit and sufficient grid capacity for EV charging stations, and simplifying the process for their installation
    • Building back-end utility systems to be able to communicate with the EV network

ELECTRIFYING TRANSPORTATION INNOVATION SPRINT

REV Connect Innovation Sprints focus attention on timely and specific utility needs for innovative energy partnerships.

The Electrifying Transportation Innovation Sprint was completed in April 2018 and described below. Subscribe to our mailing list to stay informed about upcoming activities.

Objectives

  • Identify innovative business models to encourage environmentally-beneficial load growth that can reduce carbon emissions and keep rates affordable
  • Identify market partners for NYSEG and RG&E’s REV Demonstration Project focusing on the deployment of a DC Fast Charging Network in Ithaca, NY

Outcomes

The New York utilities and New York State presented their interests within this Innovation Sprint during the kick-off webinar on March 8, 2018. Among the interests, top objectives included:

Utility-Specific Interests

Utility Propose Ideas Via Interests
Central Hudson REV Connect Interested in EV solutions and programs that tie enabling technology to customer offering to simplify and engage customers while increasing EV adoption. Specific areas of interest include technology/metering capabilities in lieu of AMI and solutions that incentivize large customers to convert fleets to EVs.
Con Edison REV Connect Sought partners for siting quick chargers, managing load inside a large depot deployment, and being able to interrupt charging during grid contingencies in 2017. Interested in new ideas and partnership opportunities the market can offer to inform future RFIs and REV demos. Specific areas of interest include commercially-established fast charging technologies and transit bus on-route charging that co-mingle with publicly accessible fast charging.
National Grid REV Connect Interested in identifying potential partners for future REV demo projects. Specific areas of interest include expanding charging infrastructure at work and other public charging locations, increasing customer education and awareness around EVs, and other solutions for increasing EV adoption among customers.
NYSEG and RG&E REV Connect Interested in testing how they can help enable and advance the EV market. Interested in collaboratively designing and implementing an electric vehicle DC fast charger pilot project consisting of the installation of DC fast charging stations with a charging capacity that aligns with the capabilities of current and future EV passenger vehicles.
O&R REV Connect Interested in new ideas and partnership opportunities the market can offer to inform future RFIs and REV demos. Specific areas of interest include commercially-established technologies that can economically manage electric vehicle charging during peak demand hours and solutions that can maximize the effectiveness of O&R’s planned education and outreach campaign for electrification of transport.

 

REV Context

New York is already encouraging EV adoption. Examples of these actions include:

  • ChargeNY: A collection of initiatives aiming to put 30,000-40,000 EVs on the road and to install over 2,500 additional public and workplace charging stations statewide by 2018
  • NYSERDA EV R&D program that will invest more than $11 million over 5 years in product development and demonstration and consumer outreach and education
  • $3 million in funding for municipalities to purchase/lease vehicles and install EV infrastructure
  • Participation in the multi-state zero-emissions vehicles action plan
  • Participation in the Transportation Climate Initiative

The Joint Utilities (JU) have proposed developing an EV Readiness Framework that would leverage the utilities’ core business functions (e.g., forecasting, system planning, interconnection, customer communication, and education) and emphasize near-term EV demonstrations and pilot projects. The JU will develop and publish the framework by early 2018.

New York utilities also have the opportunity to propose and earn shareholder performance incentives—known as earnings adjustment mechanisms—for supporting the electrification of the transportation sector and improving system efficiency for the grid overall.

 

Resources

For more information, see: