Developing transportation electrification plans that equitably serve all customers

Key takeaways

A large investor-owned utility (IOU) was preparing transportation electrification (TE) plans for each of its three operating states and wanted to build a cohesive strategy to comply with regulations and meet stakeholder objectives.
The utility partnered with E Source to define the vision, goals, and objectives of its TE activities and investments, navigate regulations in each of its territories, and ensure equity.
E Source’s unique approach helped the utility confidently advance its portfolio. The utility moved from simply complying to building and filing complete TE plans that will equitably serve all customers and satisfy regulators and stakeholders.

The challenge

A large IOU wanted to create a comprehensive TE plan for each of its three operating states. The plans needed to include a 10-year roadmap for rolling out EV programs designed to meet the unique needs of customers and support future TE infrastructure. The plans also needed to meet regulatory requirements and stakeholder objectives while ensuring that low- and moderate-income (LMI) customers would benefit from new EV offerings.

The solution

To build a solid foundation for the TE plans, E Source worked with the utility’s clean transportation team to define the vision, goals, and objectives. E Source supplied valuable industry insights, giving the utility a national perspective on what other utilities offered in their TE plans and allowing the utility to benchmark its goals. Then, E Source incorporated the goals and objectives into a comprehensive TE plan capable of supporting the utility’s TE activities and investments.

E Source also:

Supported the utility by interpreting the TE regulatory requirements in each state
Assessed existing and future EV charging station locations
Analyzed data on EV adoption and charging infrastructure utilization
Reviewed forecasts for anticipated future adoption
Researched the TE needs of and benefits to the utility’s LMI communities
Quantified customer demand for TE programs and services
Structured budgets for the utility’s TE portfolio

The results

E Source’s unique approach helped the utility confidently mature its portfolio, moving from simply complying to building and filing holistic TE plans that will serve all customers successfully and equitably and meet the needs of regulators and stakeholders. The final TE plans identified opportunities for the utility to offer financial incentives and technical support to drive adoption of a wide range of EVs, including:

Delivery trucks
Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
Personal EVs
Micromobility options like e-bikes and e-scooters

With E Source’s guidance, the utility created defensible TE plans that confidently addressed regulator and stakeholder concerns and feedback. E Source also helped the utility analyze the TE needs of its LMI customers and underserved populations and prioritize the development and implementation of new TE programs specifically tailored to meet these customers’ unique needs.