A new report from the Edison Electric Institute and the Institute for Electric Innovation projects more than 7 million plug-in vehicles (PEVs) will be on U.S. roads by 2025, representing 7% of all vehicle sales and 3% of all registered cars and light-duty vehicles.

The report also estimates that 5 million charging ports will be needed to support this growth and calls on utilities to help fill this need by developing make-ready energy grid infrastructure that can integrate new and upgraded charging connections, owning and operating charging stations, offering electric rates that incentivize charging at specific times of day, and conencting site hosts with charging infrastructure providers. It included the following examples of utilities already supporting EV charging infrastracture:

• The California Public Utilities Commission approved PEV charging pilots for its regulated electric companies that will establish 12,500 new charging locations.

• Avista is installing and will own 265 Level 2 charging stations in homes, workplaces, fleet yards, and multi-unit dwellings, as well as seven DC fast chargers, in Spokane, Wash.

• Georgia Power is installing and will own, operate, and maintain more than 35 charging "islands" in public locations throughout Georgia, each consisting of a DC fast charger and a Level 2 charger.

• Kansas City Power & Light is installing and will own approximately 1,000 Level 2 charging stations and 15 DC fast chargers in public locations in and around Kansas City as part of its Clean Charge Network. The first two years of the program provided free charging to PEV drivers who joined its Clean Charge Network.  

Click here to view the full report.