Dive Brief:
- Wisconsin regulators have begun digging into electric vehicle policy, opening an investigation of key issues in February and are now requesting public comment on a wide range of questions.
- The Public Service Commission said April 8 it will take comment until May 20 on eight topics, including ownership and operation of public charging infrastructure and the role utilities should play in deployment.
- The state had less than 3,000 electric vehicle on its roads in 2018, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. But the number is rapidly growing, both in the Badger State and nationally: the Edison Electric Institute projects 7 million zero-emission vehicles will be on U.S. roads by 2025.
Dive Insight:
The number of electric vehicles on the road remains modest in Wisconsin, but their market share increased almost 18% between 2017 and 2018, according to EVAdoption.com, which tracks such data.
With adoption on the rise, Wisconsin regulators say they want to "assess the policy and regulation of electric vehicles and their associated infrastructure as they relate to electricity service within the state." The PSC is calling for a broad response to its questions, including comments from electric utilities and other interested participants.
The commission developed eight areas for inquiry. On the topic of ownership of EV charging infrastructure, it hopes to determine:
- What if any limitations should be placed on ownership of public charging infrastructure?
- How does ownership of public charging infrastructure impact public access to charging stations, and the price of the electricity?
- What is the proper role of utilities in deploying public charging infrastructure?
Other areas of inquiry include customer expectations of electric utilities regarding EVs, questions of how to finance infrastructure, appropriate rate design and tariffs, and the impact of EVs on the distribution and transmission system.
Regulators say once all responses have been received, the PSC will draft a report summarizing them and issue that for comment. Workshops, conferences and other comment opportunities are also being planned.
