A report on state government- and utility-driven initiatives affecting electric vehicles (including hybrids) shows the majority of such efforts continue to focus on rebates and incentives for consumers and commercial fleet operators to acquire them. However, regulations and actions to modify electricity rates relating to EVs and develop charging infrastructure are also moving forward.
The Q2 2024 edition of “50 States of Electric Vehicles” published by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) at North Carolina State University said a total of 561 EV actions were taken during the timeline of the report. In 2024, as of early August, 29 states have enacted legislation related to transportation electrification. Massachusetts, New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, Michigan and Hawaii were the most active in this regard, the report said.
While the report shows that governments continue to invest heavily in creating markets and incentives for growing EV numbers, certain trends are showing the effects of these vehicles in the real world. For example, more states are imposing additional registration fees for electric vehicle owners, with most U.S. states now having such fees in effect. Also, a growing number of states are opting to adopt per-kWh fees for electric vehicle charging.
The publicly available executive summary of the $500 report did not identify a cause for these actions; however, it’s no secret that states imposes such charges in order to recoup gas taxes lost from non-hybrid EVs bypassing gas pumps.
The report also shows the growing footprint of EVs on the nation’s electricity grids. Utilities are developing charging programs to manage the EV charging load. The report cites NV Energy’s proposed charging programs as part of its latest transportation electrification plan as well as Xcel Energy’s request for a new active managed charging program in New Mexico. Actions of other utilities proposing to offer EV owners incentives to divert charging to during off-peak hours.
More importantly, a growing number of utilities are filing expansive transportation electrification plans on a routine schedule, the report said, with several states now requiring this.
“As the adoption of electric vehicles continues to grow, so too does the EV focused utility offerings, with an increased focus on active managed charging programs,” Emily Apadula, policy analyst at NCCETC, said in a statement. “These programs allow the utility to directly control a customer’s charging load in order to remotely optimize charging times and reduce stress on the grid.”
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