SoCal Edison Proposes $760M for EV Charging Stations

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Southern California Edison on June 26 submitted a proposal to state regulators to spend $760 million in ratepayer funds to build more charging stations for passenger electric vehicles.

The utility, a subsidiary of Rosemead-based Edison International, filed its plan with the California Public Utilities Commission to add 48,000 charging ports over the next four years. Currently, Edison is expected to wrap up by the end of this year a pilot program to build 1,250 charging stations at 60 different locations.

Late last month, SCE received commission approval to spend $356 million in ratepayer funds to expand electric vehicle charging for trucks, buses, forklifts and other industrial vehicles. Adding in this program at the spending level proposed would bring total charging station spending by Edison to more than $1.1 billion.

Both proposals are part of the utility’s effort to meet stringent greenhouse gas reduction targets set out under state law.

By the time the passenger vehicle charging station program concludes at the end of 2020, Edison plans to have more than 49,000 charging stations, mostly at workplaces, school campuses, recreational areas and large multifamily complexes.

“Achieving California’s ambitious goals for reducing air pollution and harmful greenhouse gas emissions will require 7 million electric cars on California highways by 2030,” Caroline Choi, SCE senior vice president for regulatory affairs, said in a statement. “Taking Charge Ready to the next level will allow SCE to develop charging infrastructure needed to support a big portion of those cars.”

The program also calls for incentives to curtail charging during peak periods and to encourage charging when renewable generation is plentiful.

Economy, education, energy and transportation reporter Howard Fine can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @howardafine.

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Howard Fine
Howard Fine is a 23-year veteran of the Los Angeles Business Journal. He covers stories pertaining to healthcare, biomedicine, energy, engineering, construction, and infrastructure. He has won several awards, including Best Body of Work for a single reporter from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers and Distinguished Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists.

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