Dive Brief:

• The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday approved the San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) Electric Vehicle Grid-Integration pilot project, allowing the investor-owned utility to install up to 3,500 electric vehicle charging stations, ten each at 350 businesses and multi-tenant residential sites.
• The commission reduced the original $103 million SDG&E plan, which called for 550 sites and 5,500 stations to test customer response to variable vehicle charging rates. It approved the $45 million pilot program after consumer advocates argued for a more limited trial program.
• The approved plan is intended to move San Diego County and Southern Orange County toward supplying 10% of Governor Jerry Brown’s goal for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) in California by 2025. At least 10% of the SDG&E chargers must be built in “disadvantaged” communities.

Dive Insight:

The approved $45 million plan will cost a typical SDG&E 500 kWh/month residential customer an estimated $0.18/year, a 0.02% bill increase. The full 350-site, 3,500-charging station roll out over three years would cost that customer about $0.20-$0.23/month, or $2.40-$2.75/year, in the third year, according to the commission.

Last month, the CPUC also approved the Southern California Edison (SCE) Charge Ready Program pilot, allowing SCE to proceed with the installation of up to 1,500 electric vehicle charging stations.

SCE will locate, design, and build the level two charging station infrastructure for the $22 million pilot where people park their cars for extended periods of time, including workplaces, schools, and apartment and condo complexes. Customers will own, operate, and maintain the stations.

With public acceptance, SCE will later be allowed to deploy up to 30,000 charging stations in a $333 million Phase 2 that would run through 2020. The $355 million, two-phase plan would cause a rate increase of $0.001/kWh, or 0.1% to 0.3% of the average bill, according to SCE.