New York: Bill discounts added to EV Make-Ready scheme
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has approved an EV charging programme that provides drivers with bill discounts when they charge during grid-friendly times. The State Public Service Commission works with New York’s utilities on so-called managed EV charging programmes.
The PSC decision is a part of an initiative known as the EV Make-Ready scheme launched by Hochul’s predecessor Andrew Cuomo in 2020. The programme then banked on a public-private partnership with utilities and charging equipment manufacturers expected to help install 50,000 AC and 1,500 DC charging stations in the US state by 2025 through a cost-sharing programme.
Said cost-sharing comes through state funds and two major investor-owned utilities in New York State. The Commission today capped the total budget at $701 million, which will run through 2025, with a minimum of $206 million allocated toward equitable access and benefits for lower-socio-economic and disadvantaged communities. According to the PCS, the idea is to incentivize utilities and charging port developers to site electric vehicle charging infrastructure in places that will benefit consumers.
As for the new step of managing the times drivers charge at the new stations, Public Service Commission Chair Rory M. Christian said, “By providing EV drivers with incentives for beneficial charging behaviour, the managed charging programs will create a win-win for EV drivers in the form of lower fuel costs and the grid in the form of reduced infrastructure costs.”
The tariffs will impact customers of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., New York State Electric & Gas Corporation, National Grid, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation. Prices have not been announced.
In a related development, the PSC now allows Con Edison to increase the current single-site plug limit on fast-charging stations from 10 to 30 plugs and will eliminate the funding limit on certain incentives.
Also, on Long Island, outside the investor-owned utility service territories, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) has announced a goal to support 180,000 new EVs with 4,745 new EV charging ports by 2025. It proposed an investment of $89 million in make-ready infrastructure over the next four years.
New York State has a goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy-wide carbon neutrality.
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