EV Charging Service

In Washington, the Utilities & Transportation Commission released a newly crafted policy statement in which it advocated the development of a competitive marketplace for electric vehicle (EV) charging services. The commission posited that expansion of EV charging opportunities would advance the state's clean transportation objectives. 

According to the policy statement, direct participation by Washington utilities will be instrumental to the development of robust competition in the EV service arena. It remarked that two utilities, Puget Sound Energy and Avista Corporation, already have pilot programs in place, which are aimed at adding to the number of EV charging stations around the state and helping "inform the design" of future initiatives. 

The commission encouraged other utilities in the state to follow suit and propose their own EV charging services. The commission drew attention to the fact that Washington has embraced an ambitious goal of having at least 50,000 plug-in EVs on jurisdictional roads within the state by 2020. However, it said, clearly EV-support infrastructure is needed in order to sustain growth in EV use. The commission stated that it envisions utility-sponsored EV charging services as being provided under a "portfolio" approach, offering an array of options, such as time-of-use discounts and load management measures. 

In an effort to push such projects forward, the commission moved to convene a series of stakeholder meetings through which to address concerns associated with utility EV programs. The commission said that, at a minimum, the task force would be composed of representatives from the commission, the Attorney General's Office, and the state departments of Transportation and Commerce. (Docket UE-160799)