After six months of stakeholder input, Duke Energy announced it filed an additional $56 million proposal of Phase II programs. Particularly, this filing will help the company continue the advancement of transportation electrification in North Carolina.
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Indeed, this filing process follows the November 2020 N.C. Utilities Commission (NCUC) order approving the company’s $25 million Phase I electric transportation pilot program. At the moment, the NCUC instructed Duke Energy to work with the Public Staff to organize a collaborative stakeholder process. Moreover, the Company was asked to then file any stakeholder-developed pilot programs.
Reception
In this sense, Stephen De May, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, commented; In fact, “the move to an electric-driven transportation sector will include input from stakeholders from across North Carolina.”
Therefore, “our filing reflects the best ideas we heard on how Duke Energy can spur that transition,” continued Mr. De May
Accordingly, Duke Energy will lead its efforts to develop more than 1,000 charging ports in the state. Therefore, the company’s Phase II pilot programs include building on the company’s earlier pilot by expanding DC fast charging on state highways.
Moreover, the company will expand charging at multi-family dwellings and provide financial support to school systems to purchase over 60 electric school buses.
About the Phase II Project – Duke Energy
Similarly, through the Phase II of its pilot project, Duke Energy will support the development of the competitive market for DC fast charging. Therefore, it will require multiple hardware and software providers to create a transparent stakeholder informed process. Indeed, this step would be focused on vendor selection that allows for alternative pricing by site hosts.
Finally, Duke Energy is looking to create a pilot for a tariffed EV charging program for residential and business customers. Thus, this program will allow customers to install and operate EV charging stations for a low monthly rate.
Worth noting, through this initiative, the customer would be able to make all operational choices, including the brand of hardware and network.
A Make-Ready Tariff – Leveraging EVs
In fact, separate from the Phase II filing, on April 30, the company filed for approval of a make-ready tariff. Accordingly, this tariff will provide credits to reduce the upfront cost of upgrading electrical systems to capable charging infrastructure.
In this regard, Lon Huber, Duke Energy’s vice president of rate design and strategic solutions, stated, “High upfront costs prevent our customers from unlocking the substantial benefits of Evs. Thus, this challenge is especially prevalent for low- and moderate-income families.”
Therefore, “these new programs remove a key financial barrier to adoption, enabling everyone to benefit from the expanded use of electric vehicles,” Huber added.
