IEEE Electrification Magazine - March 2017 - 61

All combined, these
two-phase pilots
potentially represent
more than US$1
billion in utility
investment over the
next five years.

to be clean, safe, reliable, easy to find,
easy to access, and have clear pricing
to maximize usage by and benefit to
EV drivers.
Battery capacities in mass-market
EVs are expected to increase over the
next several years from the current
20-33 kWh range to 60-100 kWh. Current DCFC power levels range from
50 kW (U.S., European, and Japanese
original equipment manufacturers) to
up to 145 kW (Tesla). Furthermore,
several U.S. and European automakers, including Porsche, Audi, Ford,
Hyundai, and General Motors, have released statements of
their intention to migrate to much higher power DCFC on
future models, ranging from 350 to 400 kW. In late November 2016, Volkswagen Group, BMW, Ford, and Daimler
announced the development of a 400-site European highpower dc charging network starting in 2017.
DCFC is expected to play an increasing role in the public
network of EV charging. It enables long-distance travel,
helps those without garages or who live in apartments or
are street parkers, and allows drivers to extend electric
miles on days with extra trips. It also helps enable massmarket fully EVs and allows more buyers to become a
single-car household. As power levels increase, there is
increasing overlap with electric bus and truck charging.
Although the charging plazas for private light-duty EVs and
commercial EVs such as buses might be separate, utilities
and other stakeholders can learn from the utility infrastructure and planning required to serve each type of
charging plaza to economically scale a nationwide charging
infrastructure as quickly as possible. Such a charging network could be installed in a multiphase approach to give
drivers the confidence needed to choose an EV and drive it
just like a regular gas car.

Utility EV Infrastructure Programs
As EV infrastructure evolves and changes, so have
stakeholder perspectives on the utility role in contributing to the development of sufficient infrastructure to support a growing fleet of increasingly capable PEVs. Utilities
in the United States and Canada are currently directly
supporting efforts to install more than 5,500 EV charging
stations across North America, with investments as high
as US$130 million per utility. [The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has already approved US$22 million and US$45 million for Southern California Edison
(SCE) and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), respectively, for their Phase 1 PEV infrastructure pilots. On December 15, the CPUC approved a US$130 million Phase 1 pilot
proposal for PG&E that allowed for up to 35% utility ownership of charging stations only in MUDs and disadvantaged communities.] These programs have the potential
to benefit all utility customers and society through

downward pressure on rates, reduced
carbon emissions, and improved air
quality in addition to new jobs [9].
The three California investor-owned
utilities (IOUs)-Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), SDG&E, and
SCE-have proposed similar, yet
distinct, utility-owned EV charging station pilots to the CPUC. Each
has received approval for Phase 1 of
each pilot. All combined, these twophase pilots potentially represent
more than US$1 billion in utility
investment over the next five years.
These proposed charging stations, along with related site
preparation and supporting infrastructure, are largely
behind-the-meter assets. Including these three utilities,
more than a dozen utilities are developing infrastructure
programs (Table 1).
These utility programs constitute both direct and useful additions to EV infrastructure, but also contribute valuable learning to the industry. For example, the three
California IOU pilots would uniquely augment gridintegrated infrastructure. Among the key insights from
these pilots is whether additional utility infrastructure
under consideration could lead to a more integrated, less
expensive, more reliable manner of providing long-term
electric charging to the public. Lessons learned from these
and similar pilots across North America may influence the
emerging trend of high-power (up to 350 kW per cord) dc
charging of EVs. Such charging could lead to 2-4 MW
charging plazas located across the United States in rural,
suburban, and urban settings.

customer Preferences and the role of Utilities
It takes a broad stakeholder community to educate and
inform decision makers with regard to charging infrastructure. While significant development in infrastructure
has taken place since 2010, the overall effort has been
hampered by the struggle to find sustainable business
models for EV infrastructure during the emergence of the
market when utilization is typically low. Utility business
models, which involve specified rates of return on longlived assets, could provide the means of satisfying the
public need in a longer time frame. These utility programs
also solve a challenge faced by many other EV charging
infrastructure installations thus far-how to provide
customers a safe, reliable place to charge their EVs,
both now and in the future. Research has shown that
many customers prefer active utility involvement in
charging infrastructure (Figure 1).
EPRI has been working on electric transportation with
its member utilities and automakers since the late 1990s.
Some of its research on customer preferences indicates a
strong customer desire to have the utility play the role of
trusted energy advisor. From 2009 to 2011, EPRI surveyed
IEEE Electrific ation Magazine / march 2 0 1 7

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