EVs & Storage

“A lot of it is asking the customers, when you’re thinking about purchasing an EV, or installing charging, both residential and commercial, let us know so we can be a resource and understand what the load impacts are to the grid. We’re continuing to get smarter there, as well as using internal data scientists and analytics teams to start to track that. It’s still evolving.”

“We have EV specialists who will advise you on charging station options, get that charger installed, and provide a $500 rebate – $1,000 if you’re income-qualified – to cover the cost. We make sure you are taking advantage of our off-peak charging rate and introduce you to other energy- and cost-saving programs.”

“It’s a little hard to quantify, but a goal on my end is making sure it’s a little fun or at least engaging for the customer to charge the EV at the time we need them to and providing them with enough value that they don’t mind delaying their charging, such that the electric demand hits our systems when it is optimal.”

“There are more tools and services offered that rely on artificial intelligence. We are starting to use some of these cool new tools to understand the scale at which adoption is occurring within our service territory, which will be critical for APS to know to meet future demand.”

Conversations with Arizona Public Service’s Kerri Carnes and Tony Perez; Avangrid’s Scott Bochenek and Charles Spence; CMS Energy’s Lauren Snyder and Jeff Myrom; Commonwealth Edison’s Diana Sharpe; Con Edison’s Britt Reichborn-Kjennerud; Duquesne Light’s Brian Guzek; Idaho Power’s Billie McWinn and Patti Best; National Grid’s Melissa Lavinson; NiSource’s Fred Gomos; Portland General Electric’s Larry Bekkedahl; Puget Sound Energy’s Josh Jacobs and Malcolm McCulloch; and Southern Company’s Lincoln Wood and Stephanie Gossman.

“I am asked all the time, 'If we go to all electric vehicles, won’t it break the grid?' The answer is yes, if we do nothing, but it can be the solution to the grid if we do this right.”

“For EVs to become a resource rather than a challenge to grid stability, we urgently need to see coordinated plans for grid expansion and enhancement, as well as digital technologies for two-way communications and pricing between EVs and grids.”

PUF presents two companies driving the EV revolution. EY Americas has experts focused on collaboration across the ecosystem and helping clients embrace EV adoption. Fermata Energy was founded with intentions of accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and the transition to renewable energy.

“On fleet transition studies, we’ve been looking at sites in terms of how we best engineer electric vehicle charging infrastructure. We approach this from a perspective that considers changes behind the meter, impacts we are going to create on the grid side, and upgrades to incorporate on the grid.”

“We’re working within the confines of customers already using their auto OEM app or Level two charger app. We’re not requiring them to download another app.”