October 9, 2024

NetZero Insider this past week covered two recent reports that help illustrate what it will take for the U.S. to accommodate both the public policy goals and consumer demand for electric vehicles in the coming years.

K Kaufmann wrote about the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s second-quarter EV report, which found that the U.S. would need to install more than 1 million publicly available Level 2 and direct current fast chargers in the next six and a half years to meet President Biden’s goal of EVs making up 50% of all new light-duty car sales by 2030. 

That was followed by an article from John Cropley, who wrote about the Edison Electric Institute projecting 34.4 million light-duty EVs will be on U.S. roads by 2030, an 84% increase from what it predicted in 2018. That means the grid will need more transmission and distribution infrastructure to serve the necessary 42.2 million charging ports, EEI found. 

And speaking of transmission, DOE last week announced it is investing up to $1.5 billion in four specific projects around the country, and it released the final National Transmission Planning Study. James Downing covered that news, while Jon Lamson honed in on one of the projects, Avangrid’s Aroostook Renewable Gateway in Northern Maine. 

Here’s what else we had this week: 

• EFI Foundation Showcases Minnesota Clean Energy Jobs Sector as Model for Midwest 

• IRP Settlement Accelerates Xcel’s Clean Energy Transition 

• NJ Offshore Infrastructure Plans Spark Electromagnetic Fears 

• OSW Industry, Advocates See Hope in NE Multistate Procurement 

• Overheard at GCPA’s 39th Annual Fall Conference 

• Report Examines Grid Planning for Building Electrification
  

• RI Siting Board Claims Authority over Storage Permitting 

• Vermont PUC Rejects Heating Fuel Credit Trading Concept 

• Wash. Kicks off Cap-and-Invest Electricity Forum 

See you next week!