In an effort to further support market transformation in the electric transportation sector, The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) authorized Southern California Edison (SCE) to develop a pilot program to incentivize the deployment of approximately 1,500 electric vehicle charging stations and conduct education and outreach in support of electric transportation.
Edison is authorized to spend $22 million on implementation of Phase 1 of its Charge Ready and Market Education Programs under a settlement agreement among parties that was modified and approved by the CPUC.
Edison plans to locate charging stations at locations where drivers typically leave their cars parked for four hours or more: workplaces and fleet facilities, multi-unit dwellings, and destination locations such as parks and shopping malls. Single-family homes are not eligible.
The customer participant will own and operate the charging station and will be responsible for all related operating costs, including maintenance and electricity usage. Ratepayers will fund the cost of all paneling, conduits, and wiring, up to the charging station itself. Edison will also provide charging station rebates to site owners to cover a pre-determined percentage of the charging system “base cost.”
Rebate levels will be 25% of the base cost for all non-residential market segments, 50% of the base cost for Multi-Unit Dwellings, and 100% of the base cost for any charging stations located within disadvantaged communities, regardless of market segment.
Under the pilot program, Edison will validate its cost estimates and program incentives, identify and address field deployment issues, and refine its market education strategies. Edison will also convene an Advisory Board to review and provide input, guidance, and suggestions on the execution and improvement of the pilot.
At the conclusion of the pilot, SCE will seek authority from the CPUC to expand the program to bring the total number of charging stations to about 30,000 for a total estimated cost of $355 million. The program also provides funding for education and outreach to develop awareness about the benefits of electric vehicles and charging from the power grid. SCE also received approval to offer new advisory services to help its business customers learn about transportation electrification technologies.
In approving a modified settlement, the CPUC adopted guiding principles that provide a solid foundation for moving forward with the Charge Ready and Market Education Programs, including support of the Governor’s and California’s goals of achieving installation of grid-integrated infrastructure to support one million zero emission vehicles by 2020; maintaining customer choice; and removing barriers to deploying electric vehicle charging.
